Now, first–I know next to nothing about Mr. T. Pretty much the most I know about him is from what I’ve seen of him on Dancing with the Stars this season. That being said, I came across an article that discussed his faith in God and how it got him through his battle with lymphoma in 1995. So, that’s what I’m going to briefly discuss here today. I encourage you to read the article, but I’ll sum up bits and pieces as well.
I cannot even imagine being diagnosed with any type of long-term illness, cancer, etc., but I do know that the only way I’d make it through would be if I had faith in and trusted God. So, I always appreciate when I hear of others who do the same. He relates his time to the book of Job, saying that no matter how strong our faith is, all the good we do, etc., we can still go through really crappy times. The key is to have faith. This is such a hard response to have when we encounter major trials, but it is certainly the best one to have. Just trust that God is going to get you through it–no matter what it is.
Another part of this story that I love is that, now that he’s come out on the other side of all this, he gives back. He goes to hospitals to encourage and see the sick kids there, he sees it as serving God. And it is. When we help the sick, poor, needy, downtrodden, we’re ‘helping’/serving God. He loves ‘the least of these’ & we’re called to as well. Mr. T has also pledged to give any money he makes from Dancing with the Stars to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Mr. T can be an inspiration to any of us. His story helps us to remember that just because we’re Christians does NOT mean we get an easy, care-free life. We will have struggles. The key is to have faith and trust in God that He will deliver you from these troubles. He will lift you up out of that pit of depression. Have faith in Him.
thanks for reading, guys!
-erinn victoria
UPDATE: Since posting this, Mr. T danced his final dance on Dancing with the Stars and talked about his battle with cancer. It brought most people in that audience to tears the other night, and I encourage you to watch and be inspired.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFAzJ2LMxgs[/youtube]