"What disturbs men's minds is not events but their judgments on events."
- Epictetus
Theme of the Week: A Matter of Perspective
Brother,
Over the past year, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on my cancer journey, and one realization has continued to come back to me.
Before my stem cell transplant and throughout every stage of treatment, I had an unwavering belief that I was going to be okay. I wasn't afraid. That's not because I underestimated what I was facing. I knew exactly how serious it was. I understood the risks of total body radiation, chemotherapy, and the transplant itself. I knew the road ahead would be incredibly difficult. But despite all of that, I had this deep certainty in my mind and an unwavering feeling in my heart that I would survive.
I had complete faith. Faith in God, faith in the people He had placed around me, and faith that I would find the strength to endure whatever came next. I believed I would recover, and I believed I would thrive.
What surprises me isn't the mindset I had during cancer. It's the mindset I've caught myself having since.
As I've stepped back into a somewhat "normal" life, I've found moments where I've questioned myself. I've felt less confident than I did when my life was actually on the line. I've worried about making the right decisions, wondered whether I'm capable of what's next, and felt the pressure of rebuilding a life after treatment.
One day I caught myself thinking, Why did I have such complete faith when facing life and death, yet sometimes struggle to carry that same belief into everyday life?
The more I've reflected on that question, the more I've realized how difficult it can be to maintain a hopeful perspective once life begins to feel ordinary again. When the dust settles and our daily routines return, it's easy to lose some of the optimism, confidence, and sense of purpose that carried us through our hardest seasons.
Cancer taught me that my perspective mattered just as much as the treatment itself. Every day, I chose to believe that I would recover. That outlook didn't change my diagnosis, but it changed how I faced it. It gave me hope when I needed it most, strengthened my resolve, and helped carry me through the uncertainty.
So why would I leave that perspective behind now?
If I continue to do good, lead with love, help others, and trust that God is directing my path, then I don't need to know exactly how everything will unfold. I simply need to keep taking the next faithful step. Faith, courage, and a hopeful perspective aren't qualities I want to reserve for life's greatest challenges. They're qualities I want to carry into every ordinary Monday, every difficult decision, and every uncertain season that lies ahead.
Epictetus reminds us that it isn't always our circumstances that disturb us, but the meaning we attach to them. We rarely get to choose every event in our lives, but we do get to choose the perspective we bring to them.
Stay strong, even when you are not. It’s okay, you are not alone.
With love always,
Michael Argyrides
