The unexpected journey and a second Dove appeared on a difficult day walking thru cancer:
I hit another rough day in the journey after my second surgery with Dr. Q – He got back pathology and said it did look good the light showed cancer lining my bladder like a carpet. When the Dr, Q called to tell me he suggested that I needed to consider removing my bladder, my lymph nodes, and my prostrate. This was the Gold Plan. He said if I did not do this that the type of cancer could take my life. It was a rapidly spreading cancer type.
He had called in the middle of my staff meeting so I went home to pray and talk with Kathy. We prayed and decided to stay on same track with no removal of important parts and I choose the Silver Plan and asked God for a miracle.
At one point in our talk and prayer I said to her, “It would be nice to get another visitation from a dove today.”
That night a young couple from church were scheduled to bring us a meal – Brock and Brittany K. They brought us food and immediately gave me a heart touching card. But they also gave me a white dove as you see to the right.
My mind reflected back to a movie I had seen years earlier: “A Beautiful Mind” starring Russel Crowe a true story about a professor who suffered from Schizophrenia and the personalities in his mind which torment him and seek to lure him out of reality and create havoc in his family. job and life. But he learns to ignore them after a long battle and to choose to live in reality and not in the delusion these characters wanted him to live in. Yes, He notes to another professor they were always there, off in the shadows, beckoning him to come to them and entertain them, to give them attention, but he chooses to reject them and ignore them. He decided in his life to stay focused on his family, job and life without them.
The shadow of Cancer is like those delusional characters in the movie – it was there taunting me – standing off in the shadows, But Psalm 23 and other Scriptures reminded me, “I will be with you Mike through this unexpected journey and through the valley of shadows.”
They had stopped at a store because they felt the Holy Spirit said they were supposed to bring me a Dove to remind me of that Dove in the window on the day I was diagnosed with Cancer and to remind me of God’s promise: “I will be with you through the stormy journey, and you will come out the other end of the storm.”
It was another God moment! And a second Dove with a reminder of His promise and His presence.
I choose in my cancer journey to focus on the Lord and share my journey with my church and others. I choose to focus on God’s promise and the Doves. I choose to be positive and filled with faith and hope in Jesus. I told the Lord every day I will praise you through this valley and honor you! No matter what happens!
Another Psalms which spoke to me was 46:1-3: 1God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah (This Hebrew word means pause and think calmly on this thought – I learned to do this in my unexpected journey!)