One Week

One week ago today I walked into the hospital a little anxious about the surgery that I was about to undergo. I had never had surgery before and was not too thrilled with the idea of being put to sleep and everything being out of my control. I took a deep breath as I was guided to my pre-op room. As I laid down on the bed, a calmness came over me. Every staff member that came in that room was so kind and caring. Finally my husband was brought to my room, and as we waited for the nurse anesthetist to come in, he handed me my phone. I was humbled and blessed as I read the messages and prayers from my family and friends. God's peace surrounded me as they took me back to the operating room, and the next thing I remember was waking up to a sore and scratchy throat.

The past week has been filled with many ups and downs. Of course after surgery, there is going to be pain mixed with some nausea and lots of grogginess. I do, however, remember the wonderful feeling of walking through my door at home and feeling that pain level drop just a bit because I was home with my little family. There was still anxiety because even though the doctor told my husband everything looked good, we still didn't have the pathology report. There was stress from the surgery, and then the unexpected happened. The very weekend that I had surgery, some not so good things were happening at my husband's job, and he found himself resigning. I was broken and numb and stressed and thinking, "Can we not just get a break!" Just when we thought that one thing was behind us... BUT, in the midst of the pain from surgery, the stress of knowing Chris would be looking for a new job, and the anxiety of waiting...there was good. So, in the midst of recovering from surgery, I continued to count gifts...my mom...successful surgery... awesome doctors and nurses...caring family and friends...prayers...meals...pain meds...God's promises to cling to in trying times...my mom, dad, and brother coming to stay with me for a while Sunday morning.

Yes, there have been tears in the past week, but there has been joy also. Yesterday was my followup appointment. My surgeon opened the door and set the pathology results in my husbands hands. "You are all clear. It was benign!" I did not realize how anxious I really was until the weight lifted off my shoulders. And today, one week after surgery, I headed out for a walk which resulted in a 2 mile walk and JOG! And I praise God! I praise God for life today! I praise God for victories today! None of us know what the future holds for us, but if we are given today, embrace every minute of it. Yes, we will face the bad, but there will be good mixed in with the bad if we look for it. I praise God that He promises to provide and be near to us in whatever we are facing. I trust that whatever you are going through, that you will see light in the midst of darkness. That you will find blessing even in the hard times. One day God will make everything right. There will be no more physical pain, no more cancer, no more suffering, no more murders, and no more tears. He has won the final victory, but as we wait for the day that He makes everything right, embrace the victories of today and trust through the trials.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13