“I don’t want to wait for our lives to be over” isn’t just a lyric from the Dawson’s Creek theme song; it’s a reminder that time is precious and the most important decisions we make in life can come during our most trying moments.
James Van Der Beek, star of Dawson’s Creek and Mrs. Miracle, passed away on February 11, 2026, after battling colon cancer. When his illness became public in November 2024, Van Der Beek also made his faith journey a more prominent feature of what he shared with the world.
Speaking on his relationship with God, Van Der Beek said that the difference in his faith before and after his diagnosis was, “before cancer, God was something I tried to fit into my life as much as possible. After cancer, I feel a connection to God. It went from being a piece of my life, to the whole point of life.”
While a diagnosis of that magnitude could be debilitating for many, Van Der Beek took it as a sign to move forward with positivity and thankfulness as God revealed His plans.
He explained:
“One of the things I was really lucky about was, as soon as I heard the news, I thought, ‘This is going to be the best thing that ever happened to me.’ I had this little voice in my head that said, ‘You’re going to make changes in your life that you would never, ever make if you didn’t have this extreme of a diagnosis, and it’s going to add healthy, happy years to your life.’”
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This optimistic viewpoint in the midst of challenges is one that we see in Scripture, as James 1:2–4 tells us:
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Once defining himself as an actor, husband, father, provider and steward of the land he owned, Van Der Beek shared that he struggled to understand his value when those self-proclaimed titles were stripped away by the illness that hindered him. That is when he stopped looking at himself for the answers and began focusing on God’s purpose for his life.
“I meditated and the answer came through: I am worthy of God’s love, simply because I exist. And if I’m worthy of God’s love, shouldn’t I be worthy of my own? And the same is true for you,” he said. “That revelation that came to me was in no small part due to the prayers and the love that had been directed towards me.”
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In moments of struggle, we can quickly forget that God hasn’t left us, even in the middle of the storm, and that we are not defined or labeled by our challenges. In fact, our identities are found in Christ and nothing can separate us from His love and calling on our lives.
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39
Even in his final moments, James Van Der Beek held onto his faith and didn’t resent the challenges he faced. Rather, he used them as opportunities to share God’s love with the world, vocalizing his faith through social media posts and interviews up until his last days.
Van Der Beek serves as a remarkable reminder of how God has a plan for each and every one of us, and we get the privilege to walk alongside God and share His love with the world, turning our trials into testimonies of His goodness all the days of our lives.
Life can be challenging, so it’s inevitable that we start having questions about the hard moments we face. It happens to everyone — even Jesus had questions!
What questions did Jesus ask? Find out when you listen to our FREE podcast Questions Jesus Asked and the Answers that can Change Your Life.
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