I know not everyone who reads this blog is a person of faith. That is your choice. I am a believer. I have chosen to be a believer, and my faith is in God. I believe he sent his son Jesus to Earth, he lived, he died, and he was raised up on the third day. I believe his death, the blood he shed on the cross, cleanses me of my sins, which are many. I'm not proud of that, but despite my faults, I know God loves me, I know he has blessed me far more than I deserve, because I have seen him work in my life too many times, and he continues to use me. I am convinced I will be spending eternity with him.
Which brings us to this Saturday morning.
I am not going to beat around the bush. It has been an emotional three or four days. There have been ups and there have been downs. I have cried tears of sorrow, and I have cried tears of joy. I have prayed. A lot. I have prayed when I didn't know what to pray for, letting the Spirit intercede for me to the Father, as was promised in Romans 8. I know in my heart that God is in control, and in all things, His will, his wonderful, perfect will, will be done.
Last week, Janet, wife of my good friend Donnie, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. A very large brain tumor. Surgery would be necessary, it needed to be soon, and it would be dangerous. There were no guarantees. As Donnie and I talked on that Thursday afternoon, we cried. For eight years, we have been having breakfast together most weeks. He has helped me put my garden together every spring. He calls me his brother from another mother. We are close.
As we talked, he told me he was calling from the men's room just outside the ER at North Alabama Medical Center (NAMC) in Florence. I was in my favorite chair across the river in Tuscumbia. He didn't want to talk around the others. As he related the events of the day, what the neurologist had said, he knew what the possibilities were. On the other end, I knew what he was saying.
Surgery for Janet was originally set for Monday but was pushed back to Wednesday morning. Tuesday evening about six, me and M, Jeff and Janie Walton, Ronnie and Kay Poarch, Jonathan and Lea Snell, along with Paul Newton, Mike Mitchell and Don Snodgrass gathered in Donnie and Janet's living room to pray for the two of them. Janet was talkative, she was funny, she was her old self, which she hadn't been for a few months. You see, the unknown was now known, there was nothing to fear. They knew the surgery, about 15 hours away, would be dangerous, there was a chance of healing, a chance of a stroke and/or paralysis, and a chance she might not make it. They were ready, they knew Janet was in God's hands and there was no place else she would rather be.
The two of them stood, and the 11 of us stood around them, placing our hands on them as best we could, as Jonathan led us all in prayer. We hugged them, exchanged words of love and encouragement, and slowly we left, until it was just the two of them and their dog Millie.
Early Wednesday morning I received a text from the wife of my cousin Frank. Frank and Jan's first born, Sandi, had just given birth to her first child, a girl. She and her husband Paul were doing well, their baby girl was doing well, prayers of Thanksgiving were offered on their behalf.
Shortly after noon, Jeff Walton called me. He had heard from Donnie that Janet was out of surgery and in recovery. All Donnie said was, the doctor said they were able to remove all of the tumor. M and I smiled, the first preliminary news was good. Again, we prayed thanking the Father for the positive news.
Later that afternoon, about 5 or so, Donnie called me. Janet was in ICU, was awake, and responding to commands. She knew who she was, she knew who Donnie was, and she knew why she was in the hospital. He said the doctor said the surgery had gone about as well as hoped. Donnie sounded good as Marilyn and I listened through the speaker of my phone. After he hung up, we prayed again, again tears of joy.
Thursday was not good. Donnie texted me about 10 after meeting with the surgeon. A scan showed no bleeding, but there was some swelling, and her speech was a little slurred. The doctor said the next three days would be critical. But the last line of his text to me was, "it has exceeded our expectations so far."
The cautious optimism didn't last. Her condition started slowly going down, she became weak, and lost feeling on one side, she could no longer mover her fingers or toes. Her speech stopped, she could only nod. The doctor was called in. About 3.30, I had another text from Jeff, saying that Janet had indeed had a stroke. Jeff's note came while I was sitting in my car in the Publix parking lot in Muscle Shoals as M bought groceries. I was stunned and prayed alone not knowing what to pray for.
I am taking this a little out of context, but the thought fits. The first few words of Romans 5.6 (NIV) say this, "You see, at just the right time..."
Again, God's timing was perfect, because you see, at just the right time, not three minutes after I received the devastating news about Janet's stroke, I received another text. This one from Brooke, a 39-year-old mother of two in Pocahontas, Arkansas. She attended church where M and I did, and for a couple of years was in the college-age/young adult class I taught. I was always impressed by Brooke's commitment to the Lord, her faith, the way she had given herself over to Christ. We have stayed in touch, and we continue to encourage each other, as the scriptures say, "building each other up."
A few weeks back, Brooke was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was devastating to me to hear the news from her, but she stayed positive and put her healing in God's hands. Her faith was incredible. She had a PET Scan last week and met with the doctor Thursday afternoon to go over the results. The results showed her cancer had not spread anywhere in her body. Nowhere, not even in her lymph nodes was there even a hint of more cancer. I could almost hear her excited voice as I read the words on my phone. The sadness I felt less than five minutes earlier, was now replaced with joy and happiness. I replied that when I received her message, I was shedding tears of sadness, but that now I was shedding tears of joy.
The timing of her message was not lost on me. It came at just the right time. Once again, as if I needed reminding, God demonstrated his perfect timing to me. Just what I needed as just the right time.
Back to the Shoals and Friday was not a good day for Janet. The swelling continued, and the family came to the hospital. As Donnie told me Friday afternoon, "she's hanging on by a toenail." But hang on she did, she survived the night and Saturday morning, first word of her condition brought more prayers of Thanksgiving. Her swelling had gone down, she was talking more and moving some. Her sense of humor had returned. It was all very encouraging.
As my Alabama friends know, as we continue into the weekend, Janet's condition is still very serious, but after a dark couple of days, Saturday mornings news was welcome, and we gave thanks, as Donnie said, "we can breathe again." Still our prayers continue without ceasing.
My point in all of this is this, God's timing is perfect. In my case over the past 72-96 hours, news that was sorrowful, was followed by news of rejoicing. I don't know if God did that just for me or not. He may have, but it underscores who is in control. It is not you or I, the mayor or governor, or President or some other royalty. God is good all the time, and he is faithful. Even when he says no to our requests, God is still faithful. God never fails
I think that is enough preaching for one day. I hope you understand the spirit in which everything was written. There are times when some things are on your heart, you just have to share them. This was one of them.
Be kind to each other. I love all of you. Till next time.
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