Looking back, I think my problems started on Halloween weekend. Lots of people I knew were sick with a crazy cough and I caught it, too. I still have a little cough, actually. But I think the persistent cough allowed the infection that was already in me to spread.
Fast forward to Friday, 11/19. By the way, we’re about to go into some detail that some of you might not be comfy with, so consider yourself warned. I hadn’t had a bowel movement in days which is very uncommon for me. So, I took a laxative and waited. Nothing. Took more laxatives on Saturday, and waited. Nothing.
I went so far as to use The Big E on Sunday. And waited.
Nothing.
So, acting completely out of character, I call the doctor first thing Monday morning. By 6pm I’m in a hospital bed. By 11pm I’ve had a CAT Scan on my lower abdomen.
By Tuesday afternoon I’m being told there’s a problem with my ileus (small intestine) that could be anything from infection to cancer. They’re going to have to do a sigmoidoscopy to take a closer look. Great – can’t get anything to come out of my butt, and they want to stick something in it. Perfect.
The surgeon consult leaves and my family just sits back and says, "well, we can’t really do anything until we know more. So, we wait." Dad prays, everyone goes home, and I try to get comfy and go to sleep. My lower left abdomen is severely distended and, looking back, I’d become accustomed to a rather high level of pain.
I’m just going to be honest here. As I sat on the toilet Sunday, waiting for something to happen, I questioned God. "How can you get glory from this? How can I use this to reach out to others, to use ‘my story’ to show that you can relate to us? That you love us?"
Wednesday morning. 4:15am. Let’s just say, the flood gates opened. The antibiotics they’d been pumping into me via IV caused the infection to go down enough to allow stuff through my ileus. I still underwent the sigmoidoscopy but it came back all clear. Turns out my small intestine had become infected and a small portion had swelled completely shut, which was likely fueled by the infection that was in me from Halloween weekend – the same infection I was too stubborn to treat by going to the doctor.
As I sat in the bathroom of my hospital room, never being happier that I could go number two, it became all too clear. God wasn’t using this to give me a great story to bring glorious attention to Him. He was using it to get my attention. He was using it to draw me back to Him.
Had there been a distance between He and I? Not that I’d recognized. At least, not until after this whole ordeal.
For a few weeks prior to this little incident, God had become my waiter, taking orders from me when I needed Him, dismissing Him when I got what I needed. And yet He cares enough to not give up on us, to not let us go, even though we deserve to be long forgotten.
No matter the outcome – whether it’s healing or battling cancer – He is enough. He’s waiting with open arms, ready for you to return.
God is enough.
This post was inspired by MarketerMikeE’s tweet. Thanks Mike!
When it comes to any kind of competition, whether it’s football, boxing, racing, or anything else, I always know who my Dad is going to root for.
He always roots for the underdog. He always has.
Why? Because the underdog is the every man.
The underdog is you. The underdog is me.
My biological father has perfectly modeled how my Heavenly Father operates.
David was the underdog when he faced Goliath.
Moses and the Israelites were the underdogs as Pharaoh and the Egyptians bore down on them.
Even though the outcome was assured, Jesus was the underdog against all of humanity.
Are you the underdog? If so, understand that God is rooting for you.
Do you know an underdog? Remind them today you’re rooting for them, and God is, too.
Go get some tissues and watch Isaiah’s story. Find out more info about Together for Adoption here.
Isaiah’s Story from 31Films on Vimeo.
Batman has nearly unlimited resources.
Aquaman can breathe under water.
Hawkman is… well, half hawk, half man.
Daredevil has better-than-sight sonar instead of regular vision.
Wolverine’s skeleton is covered in a nearly indestructible metal.
Iron Man has a powered suit of armor that can do just about anything.
And of course, Superman has everything.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be? And what would your weakness be?
I tweeted this last week:
I have over 700 followers on Twitter, many of them Christians, and plenty of them leaders. No response to the above tweet. I did get a couple retweets from good guys, though (thanks @sdresser and @crucialencountr.)
What’s our fascination with conferences? What do you get there that you don’t get in the Word, going to church on Sunday, living life in a small group, and working with the needy?
I’m not dissing the occasional conference, mind you. But I’m seeing Christian leaders on Facebook and Twitter talking about going to conferences nearly every other week. Why? Wouldn’t those resources be better spent taking care of those who aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from?
Listen, I’m as big a hypocrite as the next. I’m not saying I’m better than anyone else. I just can’t help but think we’ve got our priorities all screwed up.
Jesus didn’t come to hang out with other Christians, pay hundreds of dollars to hear great worship songs and hear some rock star pastors tell us how much we suck. So why do we?
