“You’re out of options.” In a society that offers choices in every category from grocery stores to careers and from fashion to health care, we don’t like to hear that we are out of options.

Many of us know the extra sting those words carry when they come from a physician who is caring for a loved one or oneself. Sandy Arndt experienced that sting as doctors at two different hospitals turned her away. The further treatment of her liver cancer was too risky.  They told her pointedly, “You’re out of options.”

As Arndt’s story goes, however, she did have options. But even before a new doctor gave her medical hope, she was prepared for whatever the Lord had in store for her. She knew that she had a God who had saved her from a dead end worse than this—not just death, but the hell her sins deserved. Yes, she knew that God did not leave her without options. She knew that even though she was a sinner, she had one who speaks to the Father in her defense—Jesus Christ, the perfect one. She believed that Jesus sacrificed his life to give her heaven instead of hell. She was sure that since God could be trusted with her eternal welfare, he certainly knew what was best for her health and earthly life.

You see, Arndt is a believer. And although she acknowledges that she did not feel ready to die, she also says that “knowing and believing in God prepared me for this and any challenge.” It’s all about trust. She trusted God’s promises of eternal life in heaven and then asked for God’s gift of health, if it was his will.

Arndt’s health struggles began back in 2004. “I had a heavy feeling above my stomach area—mostly when I walked,” she says. “When I mentioned it to my doctor, she had it checked out with an ultrasound and a biopsy. The biopsy came back as being malignant. I was scared, and I didn’t know what my future held.” This was the beginning of Arndt’s four-year struggle with liver cancer.

Throughout her treatment, Arndt continued to work full time at her job at Northwestern Publishing House (NPH) in Milwaukee. She usually took off Tuesdays. That was chemo day. While her body was continually tired, she did not experience the other problems associated with chemo or additional symptoms from her failing liver. The Lord was compassionate.