God's Constant Care

Yesterday morning at 8:30, I told the youth to get in the vehicles.  We were heading to the Bethesda nursing homes to lead worship at three locations, and I wanted plenty of time to make sure everything was set up properly.  I headed upstairs to put a check in the secretary's box while the others went out.  On the way up, I decided I should put the check on her desk and entered the sanctuary to grab my office key from the box where I keep it.  It wasn't there. 

Professionals painted the sanctuary last week, so most stuff had been moved - my music to the third floor.  I thought the key might have been placed there somehow, but when I investigated I couldn't find it.  Back in the sanctuary, Ron asked, "Where's the organ key?  I came on Friday to practice but couldn't find the key."  The organ key is on the same ring as the office key; I told Ron about my dilemma, looked around the organ some more, and went back up to the third floor - without success.  I called the pastor, who promised to come over with the office key and let me in to look for an extra organ key.

Meanwhile, the youth were still waiting in the vehicles.  I was thinking furiously; what should I do?  I couldn't leave the church until the organ key was found; there was no way anyone else would be able to find an extra key, though I didn't know if I would be able to find one, either.  Should I send the youth on to set up and trust that they could start without me if necessary?  I went outside, stepped around indecisively a few times, then went to the window of our van and told Daniel, "My organ key is missing."  He turned to the back seat and said, "Zach, where did you put the organ key?" 

I thought he was joking - what would Zach know about it? - but Zach replied, "I put it in the box."  The two of them had been practicing the day before, and the key was hidden in the bottom of the box.  I found it, Ron started practicing, and we made it to the nursing home in plenty of time.

Though I didn't consciously or formally pray, God was watching over the whole situation.  If I hadn't looked for the office key, if Ron had been ten minutes later, OR if I hadn't mentioned the situation to Daniel, Ron would have been playing the piano or I would have missed the nursing home service.  But the Lord orchestrated everything so that the lost was found.  Praise Him!

Gospel Truth

A friend and "coworker in the gospel" wrote in his ministry newsletter that he reminds himself daily of seven essential truths he's learned over the years - "We're in a war," "God loves me unconditionally" and so forth.  I thought that sounded like a great idea, because I too struggle with having to learn the same things over and over again.  So here are six of the truths the Lord has taught me through the years that I continually forget:

1.  Jesus will never leave me or forsake me.
2.  Jesus' grace is sufficient for me.
3.  God gives generously and without reproach.
4.  Being is more important than doing.
5.  Time with the Lord is as essential as food or sleep.
6.  I can take the blame for things that aren't my fault.

Here are four things I've been affirming (things that are true in the heavenly kingdom, but which I haven't seen worked out in my life on earth yet):

1.  Because Jesus Christ is living in me, I confidently observe the Lord's working in the lives of each of my kids.
2.  Because Jesus Christ is living in me, I cheerfully arrange my schedules and actions according to Pete's direction.  (I've seen real progress in this one)
3.  Because Jesus Christ is living in me, I gladly speak about Him often, praising and thanking Him out loud and praying with the children before and after any significant event.
4.  Because Jesus Christ is living in me, and I have been bought with a price, I glorify God in my body by keeping it in great shape.

The seventh truth will have something to do with joy.  I frown a lot - at home anyway.  I expect a lot out of the kids and when they disappoint, I frown.  I realize also that I think God frowns at me a lot.  I know that He could expect a lot more out of me than I deliver, so I think He's frowning.  And I think that's the way to relate to my children.  I have a feeling this is incorrect.  Lord grant me to know the truth and know You (the Truth) and live accordingly.

Health Care

We are having an unhealthy year!  Daniel broke his arm (a compound open fracture) in November, so had surgery on Thanksgiving Day and follow-up visits in January, February and March.  Pete discovered a blind spot in his eye and an examination revealed retinal bleeding.  In January he received the first shot in his eye; a drug has almost stopped the bleeding and the doctor thinks it will heal completely.  It may or may not stay healed.  You can imagine the cost of a visit to a retina specialist; Pete has been there 3 or 4 times now.  Sarah had an appendectomy on Palm Sunday.  I have been to the chiropractor 5-10 times recently for a "frozen shoulder" or possibly just inflammation - the treatment is the same.  Now I've started physical therapy.

This will cost us our $5500 deductible for last year and this year; it will cost our insurance company a lot more.  But think of the results - a healed arm, a healed eye, a removed appendix with very little "down time," and (Lord willing) a healed shoulder.  A hundred years ago Daniel would probably have a crooked arm; Pete would have a blind spot and maybe lose his sight completely in that eye; Sarah could have died when her appendix ruptured; and I would have a painful shoulder for who-knows-how-long.

We complain a lot about the high and rising cost of health care.  But consider what we get!  If we choose to do all this stuff to make our lives longer, healthier or pain-free, shouldn't we expect to pay for it?  Remember the tragic story of the woman who had spent her life savings on doctors trying to heal her hemorrhaging?  Turned out not to be a tragic story, because Jesus healed her for free.  But the pathos of the initial introduction is not because she spent her life savings but because it didn't work.  If she had spent her life savings and gotten well, it would have been worth it to her.

I don't know when we'll (as a nation) run out of money to spend on health care.  I don't know if it's right for us to have treatments for retinal bleeding and frozen shoulders when children across the globe die for lack of a simple antibiotic.  But I do know that I'm not going to complain about the money aspect of health care, because it's worth every penny.

An Unexpected Appendectomy

Last Saturday Sarah had stomach pain all day; when we finally called the insurance nurse help line at 5pm, the nurse advised us to bring her in within three hours. At the emergency room in Olivia, I sat with Sarah (a much more comfortable Sarah with an IV for hydration and pain medication) until 11pm, when they performed a CT scan on her abdomen and discovered that her appendix was, indeed, infected and needed to be removed. In the meantime, I posted on Facebook and emailed the families asking for prayer. Pete had attended the Svea Wild Game Feed where Dad Stadem gave the message, but by midnight (after erroneously going to the Willmar emergency room) he arrived and I went home to get some sleep before the Palm Sunday service.

Dad Norling called just after I woke up, and wondered how everything was. When I called Pete, he said Sarah was walking around and would be home that day. Dr. Maland performed the surgery laparoscopically, so she has only three fingernail-size incisions.

After Sunday School Opening Exercises, I prepared the praise team stage and recruited Julie Gatewood to substitute for Sarah as a singer. While playing the prelude, I looked up and saw Pete enter our pew! He'd brought Sarah home and she felt good, so he came on to worship.

Praise God for great medical care. We shouldn't be surprised if we have to pay a good portion of our incomes, considering the almost endless list of procedures that improve our lives and health.