Big C's Happy Talk

God puts people into your life that you need at that moment.

I nearly died this past October, and to be perfectly honest, I was a little more than worried.  Because of the severity of my illness, there was a high probability that I would need surgery.

Sunday morning--my doctor arrived and informed me that I would be in surgery in 30 minutes.  Trust me; it wasn't enough time to mentally prepare myself  for the possibility of death.  I had never faced my mortality, and I was afraid.  I decided to go to Gethsemane in my mind.  I prayed to my God that I would trust Him according to His will, and I asked Him to remember me should I happen to die.

Into the elevator--the nurses wished me luck with pats on the shoulder and kind words; however, it did not assuage my fears.  Though I did not show it, I was an emotional mess.  My mind raced.

The surgery doors blasted open, and there stood an older man clad in scrubs who boomingly introduced himself as my anesthesiologist.  He unabashedly announced  his plans to perform a spinal block while demanding my absolute adherence to his commands, and all at once, I stopped worrying.  Every blast from his baritone voice eased my anxiety.  This man was exactly what I needed--a confident, authoritative presence.

During my three week stay, there were pointed lectures, rather silly jokes, but most of all, love that came from the medical staff.  My hospitalist graduated from a Christian school.  She has no idea how much I needed to hear her stories especially about her boys who were all named after the prophets of the Old Testament:)  Through these people, I felt God's presence.  Sure, it was the medicine that cured my body, but it was the people placed in my life at the right time who healed my spirit.  And, that, my friends, is the hand of God at work. 

Well, I have been away for a few months.  Why?  Well, I nearly died.  How about that?  It was enlightening experience, to say the least, and I hope I am better for it.  I will try to do some posting soon.  Much to talk about!

When the dawn started to break at my bucolic hometown, it had instilled an earnest sense of anticipation in my heart.  It was not uncommon for me to watch the flickering water in the still of the morning marvelling at its beauty which morphed from wave to wave.  I concluded that this beauty lies in each and every one of God's creatures, and it comes with a wondrous promise of living filled with hope, optimism, and dreams yet to be fulfilled like those of a certain boy that walked the bayside watching the hues in the sky at sunrise.  As we grow older, idealism fades as we trudge on with the humdrum tasks of adulthood.  Then a storm surges which turns our world upside down.

Yet, the dawn breaks...

...and we begin again.

Every day is a gift of possibility--the chance to live a good life.  

Ever watch a juggler or the performer that spins plates?  It's a hoot!

  What a display of prowess and ability!  Doesn't life feel like that at times?  When life goes well, I am the captain of the ship; I can do no wrong.  It's easy to sail through life when the sea is calm, but life has a way of giving me moments of clarity.  It's sort of like the picture below.

  OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!  Nothing like a kick to the groin to change the ol' perspective on life.  Of course, can I really call it a moment of clarity?  But I digress...

Suffering is a part of life.  It is a consequence of choice.  Now, that could be seen as insensitive, but choice has direct and indirect effects.  A baby dying of malnutrition does not make the choice to starve, but the tyrant who steals their food or the cold heart that refuses to extend a helping hand is responsible, in some degree, for the child's suffering.   I have heard people ask for the reason that God allows suffering in the world.  I usually answer, "Why do you allow suffering in the world?"  Life is about choices and personal accountability.

Yet, is there a purpose in suffering--those times in one's life when the spinning plates become frisbees and crash violently to the floor?  Yes.

It is to help us throw off the trappings of vanity and pride and to persuade us to cling to the old rugged cross.  The story is always the same; it's the details that vary.  We all consciously choose to reject God in one sense or another.  It's because we fall for the same satanic lie that tempted poor Eve to bite the apple.  We want to be "King of the World," "Ruler of the Universe," or the "Supreme Plate Spinner."  We want to be gods.  If I may ask...what are our works compared to the glory of the God of Abraham?  Where was man when the universe began?  What has man created that can rival the sublime simplicity of a lily?  Even the dandelion is greater than the sum of our accomplishments.  If God invested so much creative power into a plant that we consider a weed, how much more does He love us? 

Suffering, also, softens our hearts to the needs of others.  It reminds us of our frailties and our mortality.  When a person repents, God gives us a number of verbs that directs us in the care of others--forgive, go and make, feed, clothe, baptize, love...  The new person in Christ, covered in His perfection, is nothing more than a mere blind beggar who has found shelter.  How can we choose to keep this information selfishly hidden?  No, like the Burma Shave signs of old, we must point the way to the cross.

So, when suffering enters your life, pray.  Read the Bible.  Sing a hymn.  Think of others.  Tell the good ol' story.

You may get to like it better than juggling....