JUST IN TIME
T. Wieland Allen
When messages come to us that are definitely from God, we can't miss them and we can't deem them as just coincidences. We call them God-incidences in my family and circle of friends.
My husband Steve had been hospitalized for a hernia repair which turned into a bigger operation than first anticipated. At first there were two hernias, then three, and during the laparoscopy operation the surgeon found two more, for a total of five hernias. Fortunately they were all in close enough proximity to each other that the surgeon could use a large piece of webbing to do the repair work. The operation went smoothly after eight small incisions.
The surgeon cautioned me after the surgery that there are limits to pain endurance that are put by God into humans. He was being cautious because of the fact that my husband had endured two serious operations and very strong chemotherapy during the past year. The surgeon knew that pain had been a big issue in the chemo, as well as the operations. He wanted me to be prepared if Steve ever evidenced that he had reached that pain limit and was ready to just give in to the pain. It was a kind gesture for him to prepare me for such an occasion. Then he set a standard for Steve, he said, "But your husband is bulletproof, so he'll probably do okay." That was a measure of encouragement after the informative warning about a pain limit.
On the second day after surgery, nausea became a real problem. In fact, Steve finally had to give in and yield to the urge to vomit, which he did with retching waves for a full five minutes. Needless to say, that didn't help the eight laparoscopy incisions or the extra large sheet of webbing that was used to repair the large area of the hernias. Pain increased immeasurably, of course, after the retching. The pain meds were welcomed with each push of the button every ten minutes.
The words of the surgeon echoed in my mind all the way home that evening and grew louder as I readied myself for bed, reinforcing the medical information that there is a limit to which a person can endure pain.
I decided to turn on the TV to quiet my mind, possibly zeroing in on a funny sitcom or something similar. Immediately an ad flashed onto the TV screen. In large letters it said, "PAIN IS ONLY TEMPORARY. GIVING UP IS FOREVER."
It couldn't have been more emphatic if it had been written in the sky by an airplane skywriter. It was for Steve and for me, a personal message from God.
I called Steve on his cell phone at the hospital immediately and told him about the heavenly message. It was just what he needed to hear. It took pain out of the perspective of lasting forever, and it put it in the right perspective, as only temporary. It spoke volumes of truth to both of us.
I don't know what ad is responsible for the shock treatment that Steve and I got that night. Actually, God deserves the thanks and I immediately gave full credit to him that night. I'm still giving credit to him by writing this story. No one else could have arranged that situation, the timing and the perfect wisdom that took fear away.
That's the kind of Father that God is, One who takes away all fear by sending a wise message just when we need it.
That wise message applies to emotional pain as well as physical pain, emphasizing the fact that, "This, too, shall pass."
But I like the way God said it to us, "Pain is temporary. Giving up is forever."
He always knows the perfect thing to say in the times of need!