Thanking God… for my cancer.
At church today, we talked about thanking God. That message struck a deep chord with me. As some of you know, I’m battling cancer. To say the least, it has been a challenging journey. Taking direction from Pastor Lance this morning, I made the first entry in my new Giving Thanks journal:
“Thank God for my cancer.”
What I wrote stopped me in my tracks. I never expected to have melanoma, and I certainly never thought I would thank God for it. So why am I thankful? Because this journey has taught me so much—about patience, trust, and how to lean more fully on Him.
Patience has been one of the hardest yet most important lessons for me. Waiting for test results, enduring multiple surgeries, and facing the unknown have stretched me in ways I never imagined. However, God has been teaching me to trust His timing. Psalm 27:14 has become a cornerstone for me:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
I have learned that waiting isn’t wasted when we trust in God’s promises. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us:
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
Patience has also deepened my peace. Lamentations 3:25-26 says it so well:
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
Through all of this, I’ve been learning to thank God in all circumstances. The Bible reminds us over and over of the power of gratitude. Psalm 100:4 encourages us:
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Paul echoes this in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
It has never been easy for me to give thanks when I’m facing trials, but I know that gratitude shifts my perspective. I’ve seen how suffering can bring growth and purpose, just as Paul describes in Romans 5:3-5:
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Even Job, in the midst of unimaginable suffering, was able to say:
“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21)
During the first night of my very first Bible study 14 years ago, Pastor Connie concentrated on two verses from Romans. The first, 7:15:
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
That verse felt like it was written just for me. The second, Romans 8:28, rings louder for me today:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
My own spiritual journey with my Savior has been a constant reminder that God’s grace is sufficient. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
I share all of this because my faith is far from perfect, and I have more questions than I have answers. I still have moments of fear and doubt, and He knows it. However, I’ve found more peace in trusting God through this than fear I know comes from the Enemy. For me, this trial has brought lessons of patience, trust, faith, and gratitude that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Starting today, I’m committing to thank God more purposefully every day—not just for the blessings I see and understand, but for the ways He’s working in and through my struggles. As James 1:2-4 reminds us:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
May we all find reasons to thank God today—even for the trials that shape and strengthen our faith.
In gratitude,
Marc
