In this intimate and inspiring Guest Post, ‘Daisy’ explores the importance of trusting in God’s plan during the most challenging of times…
I was blessed to be able to retire early from my work, and a few days before my 60th birthday I was at the start of what I hoped would be a long and healthy retirement. However, it soon began to appear that God’s plans for my life may be rather different to my own!
At the end of 2023, after a long period on a waiting list followed eventually by several appointments, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Although I had seen it coming, I found the confirmed diagnosis very hard to take on board – even though I knew God was in control, the future I faced felt very uncertain.
At around the same time, I began to experience discomfort in my mouth which wasn’t responding to medication. My mind raced ahead, and the possibility of cancer became a real fear. I felt that I wouldn’t be able to cope with cancer on top of the PD, and prayed that God would give me the strength, peace and faith I needed at that time. Another waiting list, further appointments and two biopsies followed. Despite initial investigations looking fairly positive with no malignancy, the second biopsy showed a small cancerous growth. The consultant was as reassuring as he could be – the growth was very tiny, and remarkably very central in the biopsy tissue. I was soon admitted for surgery to remove a further sample in order to ensure a larger margin.
God Given Peace And Faith
I was so aware of God giving the peace and faith I had been asking for with friends and family throughout this time. Even church elders were praying – for healing, and specifically that no unhealthy cells would remain after surgery. God gave me a strength which was beyond my own emotional resources, and a rise in faith that He could heal too.
A month after surgery at my post-op appointment I was delighted to be told that I was all clear – nothing abnormal left, and no further treatment required other than routine check-ups.
It has been a challenging couple of years, and faith has been tested, but God has upheld me. I still have PD, and I still pray about that, but God is still good! Whatever you may be going through, God has your best interests at heart. Even if you don’t get exactly what you ask for, you can be sure that He cares deeply for you and you can trust Him with the big picture. With Him, all things are possible (Luke 1:37).