I recently attended the funeral of a dynamic force in the Texas cancer community. Her name was Jen Reynolds, and she fought stage IV breast cancer for eight years.
Jen was generous, authentic, and courageous. She found her calling within her diagnosis, creating a nonprofit to encourage some of the most desperate people on earth—those of us battling cancer. She spoke candidly about her thoughts, questions, struggles, and feelings.
She experienced low places, as we all do, but she always found a way to get back up and dance. Her goal was to ensure that no one felt alone in the battle.
Jen embraced every season described in Ecclesiastes 3. She knew when to dance, but she also knew when to come alongside others and walk with them through the darkness.
That brings us to the difficult question: Why did she have to die? She was doing so much good in the lives of others. Why do people like Jen die while others who cause pain and suffering remain?
“A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4
A Time of Rest
Like many of our heroes who die too soon, Jen worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others. She lived the command in Romans 12:15 to rejoice and mourn with others.
Her graduation to those heavenly shores was a shock and a tremendous loss for the Texas cancer community. We all loved the light and sparkle she brought into the tragedy of cancer. But they were more than sparkles; they were seeds she planted in the hearts of everyone she touched.
Building a nonprofit out of the depths of your own pain is no small thing. Jen kept it going, helped it thrive, and blessed countless people through it.
Now it is her turn to rest from her work. I believe she is dancing without pain, doubt, or worry beside the crystal waters of heaven.
Even when we believe someone has received eternal rest, the question remains: Why would God allow her to leave when she was bringing so much good into a troubled world?
“Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief].” Romans 12:15
They Have Had Their Fill
It isn’t always true that the good die young, but it is devastating when they do. I have heard people say that someone who passed away was simply “too good for this world.”
When I read Isaiah 57:1, I find comfort in the possibility that some sensitive and remarkable people have simply endured their fill of this world’s evil and suffering. Perhaps, in His mercy, God allows them to enter His peace and rest before facing hardships only He can see.
We cannot know all of God’s reasons, but this passage comforts me when someone kind and extraordinary dies. I feel relief for them because their suffering has ended.
Have you noticed that the good ones often seem to accomplish a lifetime of loving in only a few years? Their lives are not incomplete, and their love is not lost. Scripture tells us that faith, hope, and love endure—and the greatest of these is love.
“Faithful and devout men are taken away, while no one understands that the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disaster and evil.” Isaiah 57:1
A Servant’s Reward
The apostle Paul faced the same tension many of us experience in the throes of cancer. Part of him wanted to remain on earth, but he also longed to be in heaven.
Paul knew that being face-to-face with Christ surpasses anything this earthly life can offer. Our loved ones may not want to leave their people, but once they are in heaven, everything changes.
My dad used to say that we cry for ourselves at funerals, and I believe that is often true. We should weep and let the tears come because our lives have changed. We will never be quite the same without the people we have lost.
God gave us tears, and it is healthy to use them when we suffer a loss. But when we remember Jen—or anyone else who has died—we can also think about heaven’s blessings and rewards.
Her body is now perfect and free from cancer and pain. She no longer carries the heavy burdens or worries of this world. Every part of her soul is surrounded by God’s perfect love.
“But I am hard-pressed between the two. I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with Christ, for that is far, far better; yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake.” Philippians 1:23–24
No One Loses the Cancer Battle
Never say that someone lost the battle with cancer.
The timing of a person’s death has nothing to do with winning or losing. When we die in Christ, we win. We graduate into a well-deserved rest—and God knows how desperately every cancer patient needs that rest.
When someone living with a terminal illness has given and received love, found light within the darkness, discovered freedom within the pain, held on to hope amid hopelessness, and managed to get up one more time, that person is an overcomer—not a loser.
Jen danced on earth, and now she is crowned with life and dancing with her Maker beside the crystal sea.
Scripture says we receive a crown when we remain steadfast through trials and stand the test. Our calling now is to take the seeds of love God planted in us through people like Jen and pass them on to others.
When we do, we multiply God’s love on earth. One day, we will receive that crown too.
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
