All my life I’ve followed after my sister Mary. Though she was born 20 months before me, in many ways she’s always been decades ahead of me, at least in the lessons-learned department. Whether she’s been aware of it or not, she’s been my teacher all the way along. And now she’s showing me (and many others) how to respond when her faith is tested.

Some might say, “What do you mean by faith being tested?”

Receiving a terminal diagnosis has the power to shake us to the core and forces us to think about things we never thought about before. In the process, virtually everything changes.

It’s natural to ask, “Why was I singled out for such a horrible reality? Why not someone else?” Although there are no satisfying answers, that doesn’t stop us from asking.

But Mary’s response to the words “pancreatic cancer” has never been to ask why. As she absorbed the harsh truth that first day, she was coping in a way that pleased God. She didn’t have a clear understanding, but her mentality was one of acceptance. She said, “God knows best.” And that equates to an A+ in a test of faith.

But something else was going on, too, in her initial response. Mary wasn’t asking why or feeling singled out, because she had already fully accepted that death was part of life… not just for her but for all of us.

Yesterday a blog reader made an astute observation that got me thinking. In response to Mary’s blog she wrote:

I am in the same boat with you, Mary. I, too, have a terminal illness. And if Jesus doesn’t come first, there’s a 100% chance I’ll die from it. It’s genetic– both my parents have it, and sadly, both my precious little daughters have inherited this disease from me. Oh, and my dear husband has it too. But thankfully, there’s a cure; it’s Jesus. I realize how foolish I am to live like I don’t have the “cancer” of sin. Cancer or not, I need to be living exactly like you… making the absolute most of every moment, leaning on Jesus for wisdom to make every decision, and being content to live a “normal” life for as long as I can, overwhelmed with gratitude.

Reading her comment was an “ah-ha” moment for me. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of cancer in that way before, since we all have sin-cancer. Not one of us is without a terminal diagnosis.

If we’ve truly internalized this biblical truth, receiving bad news like Mary did becomes less of a crisis. And I hope when my time comes, whether the test involves physical cancer, sin-cancer, or both, I hope I remember everything Mary taught me.

“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 3:23)