Make Me Clean, November 29
Inside the Cancer Journey: Daily Reflections for Those Coping with Cancer
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By Elvin McLin
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean” (Matthew 8:1-2 NIV).
When the test results come back confirming cancer, we can sometimes feel like lepers. How can I compare cancer with being a leper? Cancer is a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body. Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by slow-growing bacteria that attack the nerves, which untreated can lead to paralysis and production of deformities. The descriptions alone strike fear into your heart, don’t they?
Leprosy is contagious. To deal with this, lepers were required by Biblical law not only to live away from any town, but to call out, “Unclean! Unclean!” to any people they would see. (See Leviticus 13:45-46.) What a mess! Can you imagine how people treated a leper as He walked down the road? Can you imagine how the leper felt?
Cancer isn’t contagious, but we are too often treated like lepers. People may not know how to handle being around you after your diagnosis. Unfortunately, this can include close family and friends. Like with leprosy, cancer patients can have outward signs of their struggle—weight loss from not eating, weight gain from medications, unbearable fatigue, burn marks from radiation, and of course the loss of hair and even eyebrows!
As scary as cancer can be, thankfully, it’s not contagious. Although your family and friends may know this in their heads, some might still pull away from you. So, what are you to do when cancer makes you feel like a leper?
Today’s verses provide us a picture of what true hope is in a hopeless situation. The leper didn’t care what others said about his appearance or condition. He heard about a man who could heal his impossible condition. We have to get a picture of why the actions this man took were an incredible act of faith. Look again at today’s verse. Jesus was not alone. He was with a large crowd. Can you see the leper wandering through the crowd yelling, “Unclean! Unclean!”—all so he could reach Jesus? Surely the people in the crowd shunned him, avoided him, and maybe even threw rocks at him. But it didn’t matter—he had to see Jesus! He had to get to Him by any means necessary! “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean.”
Being treated like a leper hurts—a lot. But are you going to let the hurt of rejection or the worries of what people are thinking get between you and Jesus? Will you be as persistent as the leper was, petitioning with unquenchable faith for the Lord to meet your need?
Let us all seek the One who can heal us during this difficult time. Let’s seek Christ together, believing and praying without ceasing—for He alone can cleanse your mind, body, and soul. Let’s praise Him for His greatest gift, our cleansing from the leprosy of sin that separated us from Him, which He gives us at the cross.
Pray: Jesus, I know that You love me, and when You came to this earth, You came for me. Cleanse my body, mind, and soul. May my life bring glory to You. Amen.
Your Turn: Is there someone in your life who has pulled away from you during your cancer journey? When you come to Jesus, bring them to Him in prayer.
Elvin K. McLin, Cancer Survivor
Elvin is the husband of Dominique. They live in Ellisville, Missouri where they share five beautiful adult children and five beautiful grandchildren. Elvin is an entrepreneur who began his journey with cancer in 2019 with stage three and stage four kidney cancer. As he was healing from the first encounter with cancer, another battle with cancer reared itself in the form of prostate cancer. Elvin has been welcomed by Cancer Companions to become a member of the Board of Directors.
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
To learn more about our ministry and the services we provide visit our website by clicking here.
