Focus on the Family with Jim Daly Facing Mortality: Embracing Eternity (Part 1 of 2)
8 snips
Mar 24, 2026 
Ben Sasse, former U.S. senator and university president, speaks as a husband and father facing stage-four cancer. He reflects on God's relational Trinity and why God allows suffering. He shares the story of his diagnosis and caring for his children. He also talks about idolatry, the role of government, social media's harms, and practical ways families cultivate faith.
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Suffering Reveals And Removes Idolatry
- Sasse links suffering to Christ's incarnation and sanctification, arguing pain exposes idolatry and shapes believers for heaven.
- He says suffering cleaves us from idolatries by smashing the false loves we erected around creation rather than the Creator.
Ben Sasse Shares Cancer Diagnosis Story
- Ben Sasse recounts his diagnosis after weeks of unexplained abdominal pain and scans that revealed tumors throughout his torso.
- Doctors told him in mid-December he had metastasized stage four pancreatic cancer and several other cancers, with an initial prognosis of three to four months to live.
Do Order Your Loves To Avoid Idols
- Order your loves properly by recognizing created goods as good but not ultimate, and avoid making hobbies or achievements into idols.
- Sasse uses examples like sports, pets, and music to show how legitimate joys become destructive when they take God's place.