Surgeries and discipleship at it's very best
Marie and I visited a young couple last night. They were sideswiped at the very beginning of the new year. In a nutshell their less than a month old baby started throwing up on January 2. Rushing to the emergency room they were advised to remain to have the baby checked further.
After a series of tests the specialists concluded that their baby had a congenital blockage that prevented his food from entering his stomach which accounted for the upchuck that needed immediate surgery. Life can blindside us this way.
When Marie carried the baby last night to appease him from his hunger pangs I was reminded of a similar incident we faced when our second son David had to undergo surgery for a congenital disorder when he was but a month old.
Looking at the tiny baby brought back memories of emotions long forgotten. Mostly of fear, worry and if I were to be honest of self-pity. God why would you allow something like this happen to us. I took the father to the drug store to buy and pacifier while Marie stayed with the mother. We stopped by a nearby coffe shop so I could take him away from the present stress and Marie could have some time with the mother and baby.
When we got back to the hospital we prayed together for the early morning surgery. We bade them goodbye and prayed again in the car. This morning I called the father and found out that two other couples from church were on hand to be with them through the morning. He gladly announced that the surgery was a success and that the baby was recovering well.
This is discipleship at its finest. When our relationship with God and with one another interfaces with real life in real time. When faith, hope and love are learned not just from a Bible study but is experienced for what it truly is, in relationships, then true discipleship happens. In the end all discipleship is relationship!
"Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Genesis 18:14
My Comments Policy
While my site offers visitors the ability to converse, I have a few ground rules so that our conversations will remain civil and courteous.
1. You must register in order to leave a comment. I don’t entertain pseudo, anonymous or bogus individuals. This site is my home (it has a Home Page, get it). I don’t let strangers who don’t introduce themselves into my home.
2. I love questions. I love them because a lot of times they are similar to someone else’s questions and can even trigger other questions from others. Questions also keep us all sharp. This is also why I respond to them as best as I can and at the soonest possible time. I believe that group answering benefits more people than private email exchanges.
3. We don’t have to agree. Debates are welcome. However, whether it is with me or any other visitors of my site, my rule is this: disagree if you must but keep things civil. That’s just how I run my home, and you are a visitor here. No shouting; I have seen it done in writing. No cursing and no insulting.
4. I reserve the right to delete your comments. Like I said, this is my home. I do not have an obligation to publish your comments. As a human being, you may enjoy the freedom to express your opinions on your own site but not on mine. To be specific, I will delete your comments if you post content that is in my sole opinion: (a) snarky; (b) off-topic; (c) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum, civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e. an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog entry.
5. You retain ownership of your comments. I do not own them and I expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on my site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve me from any and all liability that may result from those posts.
6. You grant me the license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free. By posting comments on my site, you automatically grant me the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, video, or presentation.
In short, my goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. I believe this clear and simple comments policy will facilitate this.
