"Live Strong or Die Well?"

I was asked to write an article for the student paper at Colorado Springs Christian High School last year. Over the course of that school year, three of our students (Freshmen and Sophmores) lost a parent to cancer. The bracelets, pictured above, were made by me and the Bible study I lead to remember to pray for these families. Below is the article I wrote:

In 2004, the Lance Armstrong Foundation paired with Nike to produce the well-known “live strong” wristband. The band, symbolizing the fight against cancer, was instantly popular and inspired so many people there were bidding wars on EBay due to shortages. Even today, over four years later, these yellow wristbands are still found everywhere.

As I was thinking about these wristbands, I was struck by a strange thought. “What message are these wristbands sending?” Or, in other words, what worldview is represented by these two simple words? The answer is not difficult to find. The battle against cancer is, indeed, a fight. It is about clinging to life with every breath; instead of giving in, those struggling against impossible odds are to live life for all it’s worth before it is too late in hopes of attaining the greatest meaning possible.

In the meantime, money will be raised and research will be done to help prolong the lives of those with cancer. The goal is that one day cancer will be defeated and living strong will be even easier. As a result, human life will be extended and mankind will have conquered one more enemy.

While the battle against cancer is a worthy one and the idea of living strong is certainly not wrong, I have been wondering how the Christian worldview should fit with the idea of living strong. We are certainly called to run the race well, fight the good fight, and live passionate lives loving God and our neighbors while we are here on this earth. But there is something that should set us apart and give us a different perspective than others.

We have hope that cannot be understood apart from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. While we are to live strong and use the opportunities God has given us, we are also to die well. We should be like the Apostle Paul, torn between living for Christ and yet yearning to be with Him (Phil 1:21-23). For us, death holds no sting (1 Cor. 15:55) but instead is our gain.

This is something most of us have been told over and over, but have never really stopped to meditate on. We have great promises from the one who cannot lie that this life, full of evil, sickness, sin and death, is not the end. Instead we look forward to eternity without pain, sorrow and suffering. This means that we should not only live strong but also be sure of what we believe.

Are we just playing make-believe or do we truly trust that God is good and true to His Word? Whether cancer is defeated or not, do you intend to die well, putting you hope in the one who saves? I do not know what this year will bring for each one of the students and faculty at CSCS, but I know that God is faithful and I pray each of you will rest in Him.

(Thanks MacKenzie)