A couple weeks ago, my little Ford Focus wouldn't start (key wouldn't turn in the ignition); but since I didn't have the time or money to fix it, I just left it in the parking lot at the church. Thankfully, we have been blessed with 2 vehicles, so Heather and I rearranged our schedules so that we could make it work with one until we could get the Ford fixed --- just drizzling.
Last Monday our 15-day Nuclear Surety inspection at FE Warren was in full swing and my particular section wasn't doing so well --- starting to rain.
On Wednesday I went to see a hand specialist because a jammed finger from playing football didn't seem to be healing properly. The doctor told me it wasn't jammed, the tendon had torn away from the bone and I needed surgery pronto. So i scheduled surgery for the following day --- thunder and lightning.
After the doctor, I dropped my family off at home and went back to work to enjoy the inspection (dripping with sarcasm). About 2 hours later, Heather called and told me our 2-yr-old (Anjali) swallowed a coin and the doctor said she needed to go to the ER. Since I had the only car, I came home, picked up the fam, and headed to the hospital. After x-rays, they deemed the coin a quarter and said it would need to be surgically removed from her chest. Five hours and 3 "IV" pokes later, she had surgery with negative results. The doctors assume that the quarter moved from her chest to her stomach due to relaxation during anesthesia, and they tell us that all we can do now is watch and wait. They release us to go home sometime around 1am --- gratuitous precipitation.
Bright and early the next morning, we head down to Ft Collins for me to have surgery. I don't remember much, but now my hand looks like this:
and I have trouble sleeping because my hand hurts (I now have a special empathy for people going through multiple surgeries, ouch!)
--- cant-see-my-hand-in-front-of-my-face-downpour!
Romans 5:3-5 says
3Not only so, but we also REJOICE in our SUFFERINGS, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, HOPE. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
I HOPE that this SUFFERING will end soon, so I REJOICE in it :) These things have given me an opportunity to count my blessings: 2 cars, a great job, ability to play sports, health for my wife and children, friends that will take kids overnight in an emergency, insurance to pay for 2 surprise surgeries in 1 week, etc, etc. WHAT A BLESSED MAN I AM!
Maybe sometimes it takes suffering to realize the hope that has already been given to us...
Rejoicing,
Curtis
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