Lessons from my Hernia Surgery 2020

 

LESSONS FROM HERNIA SURGERY

Ed Sager

February 18, 2020

Bartow Regional Medical Center

Being convinced that God has a sovereign purpose for everything I go through and that it will inevitably work for my good and his glory (Rom. 8:28), and that light afflictions which are for a moment work for us a far more and exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Corin. 4:17 – see Calvin), I thought I’d jot down some thoughts while they are fresh regarding what hernia surgery has and is teaching me.

• Being physically healthy is truly a great blessing. This is the first time since 1959 I’ve been hospitalized, when I had my tonsils and adenoids out at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which is where Dr. Everett Koop worked and was the first children’s hospital in the U.S.A. in 1855. Many people are struggling with horrendous health problems and they are extremely hard to take. You literally can’t escape. It makes me more aware of others’ plights and appreciative and thankful for what I have. After every male in my immediate family has had hernia surgery from the age of 16 (Tom) through the forties (Willi), I am grateful to last this long and have the benefits of surgical advances.

• Humility: there is no permanent cure this side of heaven for pride, but being dressed in a hospital gown split down the back and adorned with a pair of ‘duck pants’ adult diaper, walking with a walker through the hallways of a hospital is pretty humbling. To rely on somebody to be with me to keep my IV pole and watch so I don’t have a fall is humbling, wearing my fall hazard wrist band. It was good for me to have been afflicted this way.

• Competent care that is available and we can afford is a huge blessing. People who are in health care are special, and some are extremely capable of reaching and ministering to your needs on many levels. One nurse, Don, an R.N., was right there on God’s timetable for me, as well as a very personable hospital doctor, Dr. Sweeney, a G.P. I had to go back into the hospital after complications ensued [with fecal impaction and urine retention]. Don told me he had the same problem years ago but much more seriously and it changed the course of his life. He took two years to recuperate and decided to change professions and became a nurse as a result. He understood my situation personally and was able to direct my care under the oversight of my admitting doctor. Don took gradual steps to address my need and was finally successful. His delight at the success was evident and sustained as I saw a day later. During the height of this I had another nurse, Karen, who actually sang humorous renditions of popular songs with her beautiful voice as she changed words to include ‘constipation’ and so forth. It took the edge off and they cheered me on and rejoiced when success came. Having a team of fun and supportive people like that made a huge difference. Even the young lady who delivered my bland, liquid diet food had a sincere desire to find something that I liked. When she offered me Italian Ice and I wasn’t sure what it was. After trying it I told her I liked it. She brought me two helpings after that. She was so intent on figuring out what I enjoyed even on my restricted diet plan. It was further testimony of God’s goodness, love and mercy. Being in the same hospital my brother in law, Roy Cox, worked in for thirty years, was very nice. So many knew and appreciated him. Another blessing of God’s plan for family.

• Terrie’s faithful care, and sacrifice to be with me was another ongoing lesson of God’s goodness, love, wisdom and grace in giving me such a help in my time of need as my life-companion. She is amazing and I am so grateful for her. There is nothing I value on earth that can express her worth. She is a precious jewel of a wife for me and I lift up my voice in the gate and give her praise.

• TV is boring. There is so much useless drivel, an unending spigot of bilge that pollutes the mind and numbs and destroys the soul. I am grateful for the few gospel lights out there. It was good to hear Charles Stanley faithfully lifting up God’s Word, and one other I can’t recall now. Pastor Stanley closed with Isaiah 43:1-3 about God being with us in our severe trials and keeping us from being hurt in them. I was able to have a nurse bring me a Gideon’s Testament. Thank God for Gideon’s and their long-term commitment to make God’s precious Word available to so many billions of people around the world.

• God is faithful. He keeps his promises. He did not forsake or leave me. He made my bed in my sickness. Ps. 41:3 Considering the poor is something the Lord has been good to impress on me. We have been privileged to be doing this for years. He certainly heals my diseases and I am so grateful to know His promises as a recipient and possessor of much grace.

• I don’t deserve what I have. God’s grace to me is truly amazing.

• Prayer is real and answered. Many times in my adversity and distress I simply cried out, ‘Help, Lord’, like Peter in the waves. He delivered me from all my fears. It was not always in the time and way I imagined or hoped, but He definitely was with me. Prayer in affliction was focused peculiarly and stripped of anything extraneous. Thank
  God for the blessing of praying brothers and sisters. I really appreciate the support given in prayer. God answered wonderfully.

• A quiet house is a great blessing. I appreciate the relative peace and quiet we enjoy at home. Our home is a great place to recuperate and live in. Thank God for a nice home and a wife who cares so well for it and has made it a great place for us.

• Providence is remarkable. My doctors were a God-send. The staff at the hospital was a God-send. The hospital was a blessing, not too big to get lost in the shuffle. Our lives are ordered by the Lord.

• My father calls regularly to check up on me. He hasn’t called much in recent years, but leaves that to my initiation. His care has been a huge encouragement and blessing, as was my sister Amy’s personal visit.

• God’s faithful servant, Eric Sims' ministry to the church was God’s provision of grace right on time. Thank God for a faithful steward.

• Good books are a real blessing. I am so thankful to have so many excellent books to provide me with an enjoyable, relaxing, profitable pastime as I recuperate. The gifts and labors of so many writers are readily available and I am grateful for my personal library.

• I am learning to express my thanks more regularly to people who serve me. It is a simple thing, but in many cases, especially in the hospital, I know so many patients are grouchy and demanding and hurting and they probably get a lot of abusive language at work. It can really lift them up to make use of a few, simple, sincere words of thanks.

• Humor is a great thing. Laughter is definitely good medicine, especially when you’re hurting. To have a laugh is a wonderful relief and blessing. There is so much that is really funny that is not offensive or vulgar. 

• A catheter is definitely not pleasant, but not the worst thing in the world. It allows my bladder to recuperate and serves a purpose I need right now. Sometimes an unpleasant thing is temporarily necessary to prevent much worse things. 

• Trusting God is what comes to the forefront in every trial. God is available in hard places. His grace is sufficient. He is working even when things seem to go so bad. His ways are past finding out, and he will perfect that which concerns me. Ps. 138:8

• Feb. 26 was a fine day to have my catheter removed. To be free from the Foley bag is liberating for sure. Great to be able to function normally again and go forward with healing. Ps. 103:1-3 God’s mercy and wisdom in design is remarkable and precise. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Ps. 139:14 God is my hope and salvation. One day I will have a new resurrection body that will never have any pain or infirmities. Hallelujah for Jesus!

I am sure there are more lessons in store, but these stood out. God's strength is certainly perfected in our weakness. What a frail, vulnerable creature I am. I am so thankful that God gave us good doctors, dedicated and qualified nurses and medical technicians and staff, and a supportive family and praying friends. Healing is amazing and truly a gift from God. He heals all our diseases - Psalm 103:3. One day none of this will matter or ever happen again. God will give us new bodies like Jesus’ resurrected body and we will never go to a doctor or hospital again. Praise the LORD!

Terrie's Christmas Cactus

 

TERRIE’S CHRISTMAS CACTUS

Among the many flowers in Terrie’s gardens and porch plants is her Christmas cactus. Every year right on time they put on a glorious display of color. It’s amazing how precisely timed they usually are. She keeps hers on our screened porch and in shade outside.

These originally came from the coastal southeastern mountainous region of Brazil. There they grow on trees or rocks in shady locations with high humidity. There are between six and nine species there and they can grow to four feet high. They were cultivated in Europe as early as 1818. By the 1860’s some hybrids were developed that became popular as house plants. They can easily live 20-30 years and even in some cases as long as 100 years or more! The blooms last six to eight weeks.

As far back as I can remember in our married lives Terrie has had a Christmas cactus. Her mother, Tabitha Cox, kept them, too. 

Advent Calendars

 ADVENT CALENDARS

Uncle Bob and Aunt Jane Llewellyn family - Christmas 1958

‘Tis the season to remember the days of my childhood when we received a brown envelope from our Aunt Jane Llewellyn. Inside was the annual Advent calendar. Each day of the Advent season had a little flap like a door to open on an 8.5” by 11” size piece of heavy stock paper that had a nice historic seasonal painting on it. This never struck me as peculiar until I recently remembered it and thought about the fact that we were all raised as Quakers (Society of Friends) in Philadelphia. She actually was raised Unitarian. Aunt Jane was one or the first to attend the Friends boarding school, Westtown, who was not a member of the Society of Friends. She stayed active in Cheltenham Friends Monthly Meeting through her adult life, and was always a part of our childhood memories there. Anyway, the Quakers espoused a plain and simple style of worship that eliminated all man-made trappings. So at Christmas time I can’t recall ever seeing any decoration at our Meeting House, although at home we always had a real tree decorated and a wreath on the front door and candles with chimes, lights strung outside the house and various other seasonal decorations. Mom always made lots of cookies. So the Advent Calendar just seemed normal to me then, although it certainly was not a Quaker thing. 
The first published advent calendar was produced in 1908 in Germany by a man called Gerhard Lang. So maybe Aunt Jane had fond memories of them?
When we opened the little flap during the Advent season each day inside was written some Bible text about Jesus. I don’t recall any specific calendars, but it seems like they were Currier and Ives lithographs or something along that line, or historic paintings like some of the European Masters, Dutch skating scenes like Hendrick Avercamp painted of ‘The Little Ice Age’ or ‘Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters’. On Christmas day we opened the last flap and read the text as a family. Those are good memories along with so many other warm ones from back when I was a little boy. My mother would play Christmas carols. I still have the music book in this photo that she used back then. We used to sing them along with her accompaniment on the old upright piano she had learned to play on as a girl and kept throughout her entire life. 

Christmas 1959 - Tom, Ed, Andy (now Willi)

Our original copy With the Christmas Story as told by St. Luke and St. Matthew compiled by Frank Edwin Peat

I don’t think we kept any of those old Advent Calendars so I can’t find a sample to show. My sister-in-law, Viki, kept up the tradition for a while and gave us Advent calendars for some years when our sons were at home. On reflection it does keep us who keep some of these traditions mindful that if we do, it should be ‘unto the Lord’ (Romans 14). Jesus is what it ought to be about, so remember to open your Bible and read about the One it is all about - Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39 Amid all the warm sentiment and tradition of this season take time to remember that God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16 ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…’ Isaiah 9:6. ‘Peace on earth; good will toward men…’ Luke 2:14 ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come.’

God's Care in 2023

 

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations...” 

II Peter 2:9

From The Pastor's Heart: God’s Care

How often we wonder whether God cares for us. We even sing the question, “Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth and song; as the burdens press and the cares distress, and the way grows weary and long?” (Frank Graeff) We are literally surrounded by evidence that is witnessing to us all the time that he does every way – spiritually, emotionally, physically, but we still wander. Here at the close of another year, we should be especially thankful that our God has delivered us out of temptations because he cares for us and he is able to do it for us. We’ve come through a year of wilderness trekking and have faced many temptations to give in to our sinful unbelief, but we haven’t. The only possible explanation is that God has been delivering us out of temptations. He has been sustaining and nourishing our faith by his Word and Spirit. Even when our faith was virtually gone, he delivered us from giving up. What a wonderful blessing His persevering grace is to us. He has given us his promises and has been faithful and gracious to make good on every one of them. He has not allowed our enemy, Satan, to destroy us or devour us, although that’s certainly what he’s wanted to do. God has delivered us not just once or twice, but every day he has taken care of us and delivered us out of temptations. How many times during 2023 were you tempted? Can you count the times? And these are just the ones you are aware of! How many temptations God delivers you out of by preventing you from going in a certain direction, or by not allowing you to be exposed to it in the first place. God’s hand of protection has been on you this year, hasn’t it? Isn’t he good to take care of you so perfectly?




And then there are the times you have been tempted and have been taken in by it. Has God abandoned you then? Of course not! He has delivered you out of temptations that you gave way to, hasn’t he? What a wonderful Savior he is to us. He has given us fresh mercies as we came to that fountain filled with Immanuel’s blood, for our sin and uncleanness. We surely wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for God’s deliverance out of the temptations we willingly or foolishly were taken in by. God has delivered us by his grace, and we want to say at the end of this year, “Praise you, God! You do care for me. You are my deliverer out of temptation. Even when I doubted and questioned your care, you didn’t stop caring for me. Even then, you were working in a quiet way to protect and guide me. And even when I was burdened and couldn’t see how things could be in your will, still, you stood with me and kept me from caving in and giving in to despair. You’ve been so good to me this year.”




Have you been in places this year that looked like it couldn’t get any worse? Were you tempted to despair and to be completely overwhelmed by your circumstances? Have you been tempted sorely by what you’ve seen outwardly taking place? The world is getting more and more blatantly controlled by Satan, and your heart has grieved at evidence of intensified corruption and spiritual deception in the world. It has tried your faith to live in this environment, but at the end of 2023 you are still trusting and believing God, aren’t you? Praise God!




As we come to the close of 2023 let’s choose to trust God’s care for us. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith. 1 John 5:4 God has given us another year to live in his fellowship. We haven’t been swallowed up by the devil, and we haven’t turned away from the Lord in despair. Although we’ve failed God numerous times, he has never stopped caring for us. We are ready to believe God, and face what he brings us next year as we choose to believe him. No matter how you are tempted, God is able to deliver you. Trust him to take care of you with every problem and challenge and temptation that you face. He won’t ever disappoint you, and will never stop caring for you, his dear child.

Your loving pastor in our powerful Lord Jesus,

Ed Sager

"I see that grace groweth best in winter."

Samuel Rutherford, Letters