Healing . . . it is something that my family has been forced to know intimately over the last four years. After losing one son and having two of my other children injured in one incident, we have been healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually as we continue on our journey. When I have shared Reed’s story at women’s conferences, I put together a top ten list of healing. Two items on that list are looking to God when everything else seems impossible and allowing others to be the hands and feet of Christ to help you meet your needs, sometimes even the most basic ones.
But the one I want to focus on today is the one that God most prevalently reminded me just two weeks ago . . . healing comes in small increments on God’s timing. Just as physical healing doesn’t often happen over night, neither does healing of the heart and soul.
Recently my son needed yet another surgery to deal with injuries suffered on the bus crash. This would be his fifth surgery in four short years. Surprisingly, we knew it was coming, but we didn’t realize the urgency. At a routine check-up, the surgery was scheduled for the next morning and we would need to stay at Mayo for 3 days. (My suitcase was a purse and Sawyer’s was his school backpack.) Needless to say it was an adventure!
While Sawyer was in surgery, I had to fight hard to hold down “the mad”. Someone else did this to my son . . . he was going to miss out on his golf season . . . here we go again with surgery, bills, hassles, and struggles. My prayer was, “God, take away the mad. Help me to see how you are going to use this in Sawyer’s life to bring you glory.”
The answer didn’t immediately come, and after waiting for 4 hours, I was cold (why are hospitals so chilly?) and hungry. So I ventured down to the cafe in the main Mayo building. As I emerged from the underground tunnel to the area where people play the piano, God provided his answer. Instead of the typical classical music (which I love), the pianist was playing, “Great is thy faithfulness!”
With tears streaming into my muffin, God reminded me that he was very much present in that moment and that healing was coming if . . . if only I clung to Him and allowed His timing to be my answer. Boldly and unashamedly, I belted out the words, “All I have needed thy Hand has provided!” That includes the right measure of healing in the exactly precise time . . . for surgical wounds, for broken bodies, and for wounded hearts.