Tuesday, March 05, 2024
A detached retina, Jesus, and me
One minute everything was fine. The next my left eye was black in the lower third. Knowing that could not be good, I called my eye Doctor . I thought I ought to check it out before I flew two days later to speak up in Idaho. He sent me to a retina specialist. Immediately. That doctor used terms like emergency surgery, not going to wait, you are not going to Idaho, and do you want to see out of that eye.
So I had emergency surgery for a detached retina. And here is what I learned.
Life changes in an instant. Your retina detaches. A car wreck. A heart attack. Job loss. Natural disaster. Sin is discovered. Relationships crumble. Life is hard and this world is tough.
Get help. I don't do well asking for help. But I had to. Doctors and nurses. Elders who showed up to pray. But I had lots of help I didn't even have to ask for. Family of course. Neighbors offering to feed cattle. Prayers. Food. You need family and friends during crisis. Family by birth and family by new birth.
Trust. The possibility of losing your sight in one eye is scary. But I trusted my Doctors. I trusted God more. Decided that whatever happened, God has been so good to me that I would always love and trust him no matter what.
God heals. It would have been His right not to restore my sight. And actually, as I write this I really don't know the result of the surgery. But I asked and He answered. Just like He has done countless times before.
Recover. The recovery process is harder than the surgery. Don't move. Keep your head down. But when you need to heal, you do the hard things and trust God is working even if you can't see it. Or can't yet see.
Well by now you know where I am going. You need Jesus. For the hard times. In the good times. You need your church family. God hears. God answers. God heals.
I wish this hadn't happened, but it has been a good reminder of what really matters.
