You are more than a statistic. I know that's easy to say, and hard to believe when a doctor has just handed you a number. This week on the podcast, my friend David Carpenter told us about the day his odds came back under fourteen percent.
The Number Everybody Remembers
Almost everyone I talk with on this journey remembers their number. It might be a percentage, a stage, or a survival rate. Brittany even told us about the day doctors gave her a ti.eline.
I remember m.ne, too. After my three surgeries, I was told I'd need close to one hundred immunotherapy treatments over the next three years. Then came months of injections for a blood clot. Honestly, those numbers were overwhelming.
Numbers have a way of moving into your head and refusing to leave. They wait for you in the waiting room. And they show up at two in the morning, right when you're most tired.
Why You Are More Than a Statistic
Interestingly, Jesus had something to say about numbers. Just not the kind we usually think about.
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." - Luke 12:6-7
Think about that for a minute. God isn't working from an average. He knows you down to the strand. And then Jesus says the very next thing a person staring at a number needs to hear: don't be afraid.
A statistic describes a crowd. It can't tell you anything about the one person God is holding. That's why you are more than a statistic. To Him, you were never part of a crowd.
What David and Gretchen Did With Their Number
When David heard under fourteen percent, he and his wife looked at each other and prayed. Then they said, we can beat that.
That wasn't denial. For years, they'd been praying for good health, for the doctors, and for advances in cancer care. As a result, when the number came, their faith already knew where to go. They knew they were more than a statistic, because they knew whose they were.
When the Number Doesn't Move
Now I want to speak to the person whose number hasn't moved. Maybe it's gotten worse. Please hear me: this isn't about out-believing a percentage.
I'm not going to tell you that enough faith changes a statistic. You should absolutely keep praying, boldly, and asking Jesus for exactly what you want. Still, His plan is bigger than our numbers, and His love for you was never based on them.
So here's something you can do tonight. Write your number on a piece of paper. Then hold it up and pray, "Lord, this is the number they gave me. You know every hair on my head. I'm giving this one to You."
That's exactly what I had to do with my own numbers. Once I gave them to God, one day at a time, they stopped running my life. And I found a peace I couldn't have found any other way.
You Are Never Alone
Whatever number you were handed, it isn't the last word on your life. Jesus is. You are more than a statistic to Him, and you always will be.
If you don't have that relationship with Jesus, or if yours has grown stale or weak, or you're just plain angry with Him right now, please visit our Accepting Jesus page. Nothing else on this site matters as much.
No matter what you're facing on your journey with cancer or in life, remember: you are NEVER ALONE. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always with you and ready to help. All you have to do is ask, then give it all to Jesus and let Him go to work.
Listen to the Podcast - David's Story, Part One: At Least We Know What 3:16 Is