This lack of preparedness was exposed by my shock when I received my diagnosis. I thank God now for revealing through leukemia that my faith was shallower than I thought and, over time, helping me to surrender to and trust him in deeper ways.

A year ago, at age 46, my life as I knew it was interrupted without warning. Like countless days before, I was commuting home from a normal day in the office. Suddenly I found myself at a train station struggling to walk or even breathe. An ambulance took me off to the hospital, where I was told I had pneumonia.

But then a blood test revealed an abnormality, which resulted in a more sinister diagnosis: a slow-growing form of leukemia. Suddenly, my physical and spiritual life changed. My eyes were suddenly opened to the uncertainty and frailty of life.

Shocked at the Hospital

I am a medical doctor and have also received a lot of sound biblical teaching. So you’d think I would have been ready when suffering hit. But I was surprised at what a blow it was. In retrospect, I can see more clearly why.

First, I see that the blessings of my society shaped my expectations. Like most who read this article, I live in a historical anomaly when it comes to suffering. I have access to clean water, sanitary food, amazing medical technologies, rapid emergency-response systems, and social welfare support if I’m unable to work. As a result, I am protected from so many dangers that afflicted my ancestors, and I can feel like everything is under my own control. I can see now how much I assumed I’d be spared from suffering.

Second, I was unprepared because to some extent I had absorbed a faulty functional theology that many of us share in the Western church today. It isn’t the theology I’ve been taught or thought I believed. But somehow I had not sufficiently challenged the assumption that if I worship and serve God faithfully, he would shield me from serious suffering.

This lack of preparedness was exposed by my shock when I received my diagnosis. I thank God now for revealing through leukemia that my faith was shallower than I thought and, over time, helping me to surrender to and trust him in deeper ways.

Prepare for the Unexpected

A few months before the tsunami of CLL hit my family, I had been sent a passage by a friend, which sustained me more than any other through the early difficult months, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:9–10).

My period of sickness has now lasted over a year, and at times doesn’t seem like a little while. However, when compared to the eternal glory that is coming, even if it lasts for the rest of my life, in God’s economy it is. The solid biblical teaching on suffering I received before my diagnosis has comforted me deeply, but I still wish I had been more prepared for this trial.

Given my experience, here are some ways you can prepare for unexpected suffering. The list below is in no way comprehensive, but meant to help prompt you to take prayerful stock of how a sudden change might affect what God has given you to steward.

Read More