Survival, and Consequences

The things we each survive in our lives is truly amazing. We survive by drawing back, healing, regrouping, changing, and striking out on a new path.

After five days I just got home from the hospital. My stay was inaugurated by an emergency appendectomy which lasted about three hours (compared to the usual 30 minutes). The surgeon was extremely gifted, in my opinion. He did the procedure with a laparoscope, and I sensed it was an accomplishment for him, considering the mess my appendix left behind. (By the appearance of the tissue he could tell it had ruptured previously... more than once, in fact. I'm not sure how I missed that, much less survived it!)

The support by my daughters, my friends and my family was amazing. Love was just blooming everywhere I looked. Sure, maybe part of that was the pain medication... but seriously, it was just amazing. The God of Abraham and Moses, the Lord Jesus, the One who makes anything possible for someone as undeserving as me, was all over it. Today as I heal, I am once again the grateful beneficiary of His mercy and grace.

Could a casual observer see God's presence in operating room 7? Or in hospital room 340?

Would someone who didn't ask for divine help in Jesus' name have a statistically equal outcome from the surgery? A longer or shorter hospital stay?

Did "religion" cloud my understanding of the first-rate technology, pharmacology, and management that went into motion to send me home quickly and well-healed?

Aren't I just looking to credit God for things that just come from the hard work of well-educated men and women?

Well, yeah, I guess I'll credit him with all of it. He created it, orchestrated it, set it into motion, and knew from before the world was made that I would show up there on August 25, 2010, three days after any sensible person would have shown up, and that I would need Him.

The truth is, the outcome of the story is irrelevant. I'm grateful to be feeling well, but I put the whole matter in His hands, telling Him what my desired outcome was, but knowing it would be done in His time, and according to His plan. That, I'm pretty sure, was His desired outcome.

When you know Him, that doesn't really sound so crazy. To me, "crazy" is thinking that I really have any power or resources at all that are not specifically granted to me by Him. I've seen, starkly, the difference between what I can do with Him, and without Him, in my life.

Once again I find myself searching for the right words. If you've read this far, I appreciate it. This is the most important thing I have to say, whenever and wherever. It's the however I wish to improve on.

Shown above: "Consequences" 30"x18" oils on canvas. Available for $490.