Be Patient-August Scripture Writing Plan
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that 2022 has been a challenging year. I spent the first five months of the year taking care of my mom through three hospital stays and two different stays in rehab.
I’m very thankful that Mom has rebounded well and is embracing life in an assisted living community.
A few days after I got her settled into her apartment, my family and I took off for Europe for two weeks. I looked forward to finally working on some of my priorities once we returned from that vacation.
I’d been a little bit impatient the first part of the year because taking care of my mom drained me of the energy I needed to do what I thought God was calling me to do. Looking back, though, I see that taking care of my mom is exactly what I was called to do during that time.
After vacation, I had all sorts of personal and professional plans to follow through on. However, God had other plans for me.
The day after we got back from vacation, I went to my annual mammogram appointment.
The next day, I received a call from a nurse saying I needed to come back for further diagnostic testing. They didn’t see a mass, but something didn’t look quite right.
I’m sure you know where this story is headed. After follow-up testing, it was determined that I needed a biopsy.
Unfortunately, the results were not what I had hoped and prayed for. The doctor called to tell me that the sample they took was cancerous.
Thankfully, it was noninvasive and very curable. That still didn’t lessen the blow I felt finding out I had cancer.
Two weeks later, I had an appointment with a surgeon. Then two days after that, I had a lumpectomy. The pathology report showed no signs of spreading or any other cancer around the mass he took out.
Thankfully my surgeon determined that I would not need radiation or chemo. I will just be on medication for the next few years to help prevent reoccurrence.
I share this story with you for two reasons. One, you may be going through something like this, and I want to be an encouragement to you. Please don’t hesitate to email me at jennifer@theplanningwoman.com and let me know how I can encourage you.
Two, what I’ve been through this year has revealed my struggle with being patient with God’s timing. One of the main things I’ve struggled with in the last six weeks with this breast cancer journey is that I’ve been unable to make extended plans.
I knew I would need surgery, but I didn’t know when it would happen. Also, if I need treatment, that will take a lot of my time and energy, so I needed to keep my calendar clear for the next few months until I figured out my treatment plan.
Honestly, the inability to make plans has been more overwhelming than the fear of the unknown. God has been so gracious to provide me with peace during this time. But I’ve had to let go of all my plans and let Him show me what was most important at the moment.
I find it ironic that the August Scripture Writing Plan is on patience. I’ve shared how I pick the topics in December for the following year. So I had no idea what I’d be facing when this topic came up. I feel like God is saying I need to dive into this topic further to learn how to live more patiently and wait on the Lord and His timing.
The verses you will write out this month will lead you to a greater understanding of God’s patience with us and how we are to live our lives with patience.
What about you? Do you struggle with patience?
Visit the Scripture Writing Plan page to download the current month’s plan. You will also have the opportunity to access the Scripture Writing Plan Archives to download plans with other topics.
