One of the most debilitating emotions as we face as we deal with our diagnosis is fear…not only for us but also for our families. In my my book Cancer: Christians in Crisis, I refer to fear as the BUM (Big Ugly Monster). Fear comes from a number of sources, but one source usually dominates: uncertainty. And it manifests from a whole series of “what if’s”.

What if I this thing is painful? What if the treatments don’t work? What if I can’t find a good doctor? What if I can’t pay for treatments? What if I die? What if I die and my family can’t survive? What if I’m in the hospital a long time? What if I have to have surgery? What if…What if…What if…

All of these are legitimate concerns and for many, realities they will face. But like many things in life, we can react or we can respond to an event. Reaction is like what happened to my friend when he was recently told he had stage 4 cancer…stunned, fearful, numb. But after a period of time he chose to respond to his situation. I walked with him discussing some of the practical aspects his situation, i.e., take someone with you the next few times you go to the doctor to make sure you all capture everything that is said, get a copy of all your lab and scan results, have the doctor explain any and everything you don’t understand, etc. This started only when he was ready to move forward in response.

The practical: Shorten your mental time frame. When you think about the next week, next month or next year, you open the door for the “what if’s”, and when they come, fear is right behind invading your emotional house, so to speak.

I shortened my time frame down to an hour. When I started to feel fearful about the future, I made a decision to stop and pray something like, “Lord, I know you are faithful. Help me make it through the next hour.” Then I read a few verses from the Bible. After an hour I would do it again. And then the next hour. By the end of the day, I would pray, “Lord thank you for sustaining me through the day.” and I would have read a couple of chapters.

Effectively I filled my mind with the Word and thoughts of Him instead of all the uncertainties with which I had no control. Filling my mind with Him brought peace.

The spiritual: There is no substitute for the Word of God…none. If you don’t know where to start, read the book of John. Also, there is a Psalm for every emotion, so that’s a good place to start too. Again I go back to Isaiah 26:3 – 4. The more you keep your mind on Him, the more you will experience peace. You will conquer the big, ugly monster (BUM) of fear.