God Has Plans for You Cancer Cannot Stop
by Dominique McLin
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you’” (Jeremiah 29:11-12).
It was a beautiful December day in the Midwest. December is a month of celebration, love, family, laughter and good food. My husband and I had just come back from a family cruise, a great way to kick off the holiday season. I remember him telling me he was going to the doctor to refill his hypertension medication—a routine visit, no big deal, right? I was working from home as usual, no concerns or worries. Just thinking of Christmas presents, dinner and family time coming up. When my husband tells me his doctor’s office wants to see him again in the morning and to bring his wife. Bring your wife? Who says that? Certainly, that cannot be good. I look at my husband. He looks good. No, really, he is what some would call “easy on the eyes.” He is strong, standing tall and has no signs of being sick. So, you can only imagine our shock when the doctor said he believed my husband had cancer in his kidney and needed to be seen by an oncologist immediately.
All of our plans for the holidays jumped to the back seat, as new plans for tests, treatments and scans filled our calendar. Any discussions for long term plans, whether it be job changes or vacations, were put on hold. Who knew what life would look like by March, May or even a year from now? God knew.
My friend, cancer may have surprised you as it did my husband and I, but it was not a surprise to God. God knew there was cancer in my husband’s kidney as surely as He knew the plans He had made for him and me. Can you see in today’s verses that God has plans for you? Do you think that cancer can stop the plans God has for you? Absolutely not!
Looking back, my husband and I have always known we would work together in ministry to tell others of God’s love and salvation and give Him glory. However, we did not know what our ministry would be. Fast forward to today—we are Cancer Companions sharing the Word and walking alongside other cancer patients and their caregivers during their cancer journeys. Looking back, we can see the beauty of God’s plan in using our cancer struggle for His glory.
However, those plans were hard to see when we were surrounded by cancer. When it is hard to see that God has a plan, remember today’s verses: “… call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.” Go to God in prayer, and call on Him. Then, wait on Him to reveal the good plans he has for you.
Pray: I am calling on you, God, to fill me with trust in your plan for me and to show me each step through cancer and beyond. In Christ’s name I pray, amen.
Your Turn: Look back at a difficult time in your past. Can you see how God used it in His good plan for you?
Excerpt from Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
Dominique McLin works for a global leader in transforming the healthcare experience and has walked alongside her husband, mom and dad during their respective cancer journeys. Dominique and her husband Elvin live in Ellisville, Missouri and are blessed with five adult children and five grandchildren. Dominique and Elvin received support from the Cancer Companions ministry and consider it an honor to be able to give back to the ministry and provide support to others diagnosed with cancer.