How Can I Complain? June 8
Written by Elvin McLin
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).
How can I complain? When we were in the throes of Covid, my family was reeling from the murder of DJ, my oldest nephew, in the city of Berkley. My brother, Dennis, was on duty when he received the call from his commanding officer to meet him at the station. Dennis had served more than thirty years on the police force, at one time as a canine officer. He knew something was not right. He pressed his commanding officer to tell him what was going on. DJ had been mortally wounded; he was lying in a pool of blood. He had been shot. Driving at break-neck speed, Dennis arrived as DJ looked up at him. Helpless, my brother watched his son die. How can I complain about having to deal with cancer?
Fast forward three months. Uncle Roger, my mom’s favorite brother, lay in DePaul hospital slowly ebbing away from lung cancer. He had been admitted again after a short release. We were told by the doctors he wouldn’t last much longer. Within days, Uncle Roger was gone! Only several years older than me! Gone! How can I complain? My cancer was gone. My mom continued to say she was fine. I watched her as the family gathered inside my uncle’s home and saw her tears of pain. Thank you, Lord. I won’t complain. You are in control.
One year later, almost to the day, Uncle Larry lay in the same hospital as his brother Roger had with the same illness, lung cancer, sucking the life out of him. He was gone within several days. How can I complain? I had been battling an infection since my last cancer check-up at MD Anderson. The infection reared its ugly head after several months, which landed me in the hospital with a fever going from 101 to 105 degrees. My wife rushed me to the ER. I soon found myself alone, delirious, and crying, “Why Lord? Am I going to die this time?” Morning came. The phone rang. Dr. Naughton said the same words I had heard two-and-a-half years earlier, “You have cancer.” This time, it was prostate cancer. Several weeks later, Uncle Larry was dead. And I was out of the hospital getting tests to devise a plan of treatment. How can I complain?
Our verse for today tells us, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
As long as the Lord gives us breath, we are blessed. Why should we complain?
Pray: Heavenly Father, we live in a broken world where everyone faces sadness, suffering, and pain. You are our God. Help us trust in You even when we do not understand Your ways. Remind us that we have nothing to fear, not even death, because You are with us. May we praise You with a grateful heart for Your goodness and love for us. Amen.
Your Turn: Lift up your arms to our heavenly Father and praise Him while listening to Chris Tomlin’s song, “Fear Not.” Meditate on these beautiful words of the Apostle Paul, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV).
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.
