Former President Jimmy Carter stays close to God during difficult times

Former president Jimmy Carter holds on to his faith while undergoing radiation treatment for the spread of brain cancer.

MUNTINLUPA CITY, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - In a recent appearance at Maranatha Baptist Church, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter shared the Word of God as he battles cancer. "When your burden grows heavy, ask God for strength," he expressed.

The 90-year-old taught Sunday school in his hometown for the first time after revealing details about his health. In a statement the former president disclosed last Thursday, Carter shared that cancer cells are continuously spreading through his brain.

He shared a few more details about his current illness before claiming, "That's enough of that subject," and proceeded with his lessons about faith, love and relationships.

Carter revealed his, and his wife Rosalyn's, secret for the successful years of their marriage. He said that he and Rosalyn never went to sleep without settling their differences. "Just being able to admit you MIGHT be mistaken and that the other person MIGHT be right" will improve a relationship, he said, creating laughter from the crowd.

He encouraged the attendees of the Sunday class to consider God as an essential partner in their lives. "Any time, we can just bow our heads and say, 'God, I'm really troubled. I ask you to give me the strength to bear whatever is on my shoulders and to bear whatever comes to me.'"

With his wife sitting nearby, Carter further inspired the attendees of the church by saying, "So Jesus came and stretched the boundaries of the definition of God's love beyond what anybody had ever imagined."

Carter led the program just three days after undergoing radiation treatment, where he gave two back-to-back Bible lessons to a crowd of 700 people with his usual humor and toothy smile. Several of the attendees traveled hundreds of miles to see the former president and attend his lecture.

Carter has been teaching Sunday School for more than three decades at Maranatha Baptist, long before being diagnosed with cancer. The church originally had only 40 regular members, but Carter's appearance has drawn in hundreds more. The largest gathering was estimated to be roughly 460 people.

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