I have a friend that is fighting cancer.  He is inspiring beyond my ability to describe.

Today, I visited him at work.

He was tired from his ongoing battle with cancer, but was focused and engaged in his work.

He does not have to work. He could simply sit and rest and recover.
He could relax and be a victim of this life-stealing cancer.
He has every right to live a defeated day.

Yet he refuses to let anything take away life.

My friend is dying, yet he has LIFE!  (And, by the way, more than most…)

I am praying today for many friends and acquaintances that have cancer. You are inspirations. You are amazing. You are fighting a fight that was forced on you and you fight with great tenacity. Thank you for fighting – I know it is difficult. Thank you for fighting – I believe you fight as much for your family and caregivers as you do for yourself.

You remind me of 1 Peter 5:9. “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

Did you see that word, “accomplished”?

The world has the tendency to “make it through” suffering.
Peter talks about suffering as if it is an accomplishment.
That is Peter in the Bible that pulls some real bone-headed moves, and denies Jesus, and gets called out by Jesus, and actually tells Jesus to go away from him (Luke 5:8).

Accomplishing suffering belongs to people who refuse to let anything take life from them, people like my friend.

And so, to my friend, I offer the following verse: The next thing in 1 Peter 5 is verse 10, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself PERFECT, CONFIRM, STRENGTHEN and ESTABLISH you.”

I pray that we know life, but even more, pray that that we know the Perfecter of life. His name is Jesus and He loves my friend, and He loves me, and He loves you.