And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:23
This verse doesn’t say only good things happen. It says that in all things (good and bad) God is working to bring good out of it. I believe it because I’ve seen it over and over in my life. When I was a healthy young man of 24, I was assigned to be a student chaplain in the women’s cancer unit at Duke Medical Center. I knew Jesus, but I didn’t know anything about the struggles these women were going through. Then I got diabetes and spent eight days lying in a bed in that very same hospital. Though to this day I have to deal with the difficulties of diabetes, I am grateful for what that experience has taught me. It made me able to relate to those living in fear and pain. It made me a better pastor.
Last month, I suddenly experienced shooting pains in my head, with the right side going numb. The doctor feared a stroke, so they sent me to the emergency room at United Hospital to get an MRI. That place was like a scene out of a disaster movie. Patients were everywhere and the staff was overwhelmed. There was a man with chest pains, a woman with a gall bladder attack, broken bones, throwing up, constant moaning, and many fevers. And the wait for everyone was five hours or longer before they were seen by a doctor. I was there for eight hours, and some people had been there the whole time I had who weren’t yet seen. Between the stabs of pain in my own head, I prayed for those around me, both the staff and the patients.
That night I witnessed some amazing acts of kindness, and also the uglier side of people who are stressed or hurting. It gave me a new perspective on the struggles that I don’t often see. It was, in a way, like those days in the hospital bed at Duke. It taught me again to see people through the eyes of Jesus, and it taught me again to lean on Jesus when there is physically nothing I can do about the situation. I am not thankful for the pain, but I am thankful for the reminder it brought.
I am still dealing with the effects of what’s been diagnosed as occipital neuralgia, but I am grateful for your prayers, for the care I’ve received from medical staff, and for the reminder that in our fear and pains, Jesus is with us and God is working for our good.
God bless your week,
Pastor Mark