My God is True! Lessons Learned Along Cancer’s Dark Road by Paul Wolfe Book Review

GRACE IN THE MIDST OF CANCER - My God is True by Paul Wolfe

At the time of reading this book, I was entering the spring semester of my third year at Westminster Seminary, having been married for a year and some change. When Paul Wolfe was a newlywed entering the spring semester of his third year at Westminster Seminary, he was diagnosed with cancer, Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Being in a similar situation to the one Paul was in when he was diagnosed, the narratives that take place in the book hit a little close to home and affected me more emotionally than it otherwise would.

Wolfe humbly walks the reader through the process of his cancer diagnosis and treatment, reflecting on the truths about God that enabled him to face his sickness with hope. Overall, the book was an encouragement to be certain about a theology of suffering now, because when deep suffering comes it will inevitably shake one’s beliefs to the core, and if there are not any roots to one’s beliefs, one may just find themselves abandoning the truth of a good God in the face of serious pain.

Something that stands out to me about Paul Wolfe in this book is the eternal perspective with which he faced his trials. His hope is always rooted in his citizenship in heaven, from which he eagerly awaits his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I was inspired to face my relatively small challenges, failures and disappointments with that same eternal perspective as I read the stories of he and his wife acknowledging that his healing in this life may never have come. This book was like reading a testimony, and I feel like I have gotten to know Paul along the way. As I approached the end of the book, my only wish was that he would have gone even deeper into the few weeks immediately after his diagnosis, and how he coped with the news. Finally, the little passages where he recommends how one can best support a suffering person are worth their weight in gold. The book is worth reading just from that perspective along. I am glad to have read this reflection on lessons learned along cancer’s dark road!

I would recommend this book to anyone, because suffering will come to us all and what we tell ourselves about suffering now will equip us to face suffering later, for better or for worse.

This book was graciously provided by @banneroftruth