My son in law
had total spinal reconstructive surgery recently. He started off with a spinal
curvature of 73 degrees and his doctors were able to correct it to less than 15
degrees. That is pretty amazing we are told. His surgery went great and in the
words of our daughter, “God allowed that surgeon to do some amazing
reconstructive things on Shannon's back, but man, did they do a lot to him”.
They both knew going into the surgery that he would have to endure severe pain
through the healing process and for the most part, they were prepared for it.
His determination was and has been amazing. He was up walking 2 hours after his
surgery and even the doctors were very pleased. Everything had been going
pretty well, until several nights after his surgery when his pain became
unbearable. Earlier that day he had been
given a blood transfusion that lasted 6 very long hours. His Hematocrit had
gotten so low, he could hardly move at all. It was at that point that the
doctor told Shannon that he had every right to be frustrated with his pain and
that he could not imagine how he had managed it as long as he did and with such
a great attitude. He also informed them that during surgery Shannon’s good
shoulder was accidentally fractured when they had to use a chain to force his
bad shoulder to match his good one. His doctor also told them that he
reconstructed his chest cavity wall because all of his ribs were too close or
touching in the front area of his chest. They removed four ribs and spaced them
all out, by drilling holes and stutchuring them back. Brandy shared that they
now see how God is using this whole season in their lives as opportunities to
share Christ with people and what God has done for them!
While at first, they
couldn't understand what God was allowing to happen to them, but they do now
and it is very clear to them. “We have a story”, Brandy said, that must be
shared! As I watched Shannon agonizing over his pain, pain that I could do
nothing about, I was reminded that most of us collapse at the first grip of
pain. We sit down at the door of God’s purpose and enter a slow death through
self-pity, while the misplaced sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But
God refuses to do that. He comes to us with the strong grip of the precious
nail pierced hand of His Son and says, “Come here and enter into fellowship
with Me, arise and shine”. That is what I see Brandy and Shannon doing right
now and pray that they continue to rise up and shine through their current
painful situation. If God can accomplish His purposes through a broken back,
then there is nothing else to do but be thankful?
While God does not always
spare His children of pain, but so often uses it for a better cause in our
lives as well as in the lives of others, we can be assured of this; that He never
leaves nor forsakes His own and His seed never begs for bread! We are daily
being called into a more intimate fellowship with Him. Why shouldn’t we
experience the pain that we may be in at this time to drive us to Him. Through
those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. You may have
but one question to ask yourself today sweet friend. Is God’s purpose worth
your pain? For if not, you will count it all loss as you ask, “where is God in
the bitterness of broken romances, the anguish of jobs lost, the struggles of
all the refugees in the world, the hunger of millions people all over the
world? Or, you may think that free will
isn’t worth what it costs. But God wants you to understand this; that you have
a choice to walk with Him or to walk away from Him. Our pain on any level is
excruciating for God, yet many times He must restrain Himself to intervene in
the way that we think He ought to, for He has a greater plan for that pain that
we can even imagine. “In all their (Israel’s) distress he (God) too was
distressed.” - Isaiah 63:9 Remember this, God is not absent in His silence in
your life. Eventually if you continue to seek Him, you will find your answer or
you will become content in His purpose for your pain, knowing that His ways are
far greater than our own!
Loving on you sweet Friend,
Bren
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