Hi Friends,
Well, it’s been quite an adventure since my last blog post!
That CT scan I mentioned showed two 7mm stones stuck in both my ureters. I had my scan last Tuesday, they called me in
to the office on Wednesday, and I was in surgery last Thursday morning. Just that quick. Doc broke up 6 kidney stones altogether. Then I spent a week with stents in –
arrrrgggghhhhh (worse than the stones!!), followed by another X-ray which
showed that I still had blockage in my right ureter tube. Nooooo…
But, in good news, they took out the stents anyway. That night I passed 16 (yes, 16 – crazy,
huh?!!?) smaller stone fragments, which I’m hoping was the blockage they saw
earlier that day on the X-ray. I’m still
having some pain on my right side, though, which is a bummer. Next Friday I’ll have another X-ray and an
appointment to evaluate what’s what and decide what to do next. If I’m stone-free, I can go on my merry way. But if there’s still blockage, I’ll probably
have to have yet another surgery.
So, since I’ve been dealing with loads of pain, I thought it
would be appropriate to share a little excerpt
from WRESTLING WITH WONDER, which is due to release in just a few weeks
(and is available for preorder on Amazon right now!!).
This is from Chapter 6, The Soul-Piercing Sword (you can see
why I was drawn to this chapter this week!), which discusses Simeon’s Song in
Luke 2:22-35:
THE WONDER OF SUFFERING
A haunting question. A frightening one. Are we supposed to
suffer? Is pain a part of our blessing from God? We don’t think so. We approach
it as if it’s something strange, something foreign that sneaks past God’s
protection. We behave as if we think that if we just do what’s right, God will
reward us with a life of ease. Then we act as if hurt and difficulty and struggle
proves either our sin or that God has turned away. We cry out:
What have I done to deserve this?
Why is God punishing me?
Why can’t I just learn whatever it
is he’s trying to teach me, so I can move on?
Or we say:
Has God forgotten me?
If God is good, why is life so hard?
Maybe God doesn’t love me after all ...
But then, in the midst of the cries
and queries, comes Simeon’s song to Mary. As we approach the temple with
soaring hopes, crashing doubts, and questions that will not be answered, we see
a woman who is declared favored, a girl called most-blessed. And we hear an old
man’s song. A song that sings in harmony, yet in counterpoint, to Mary’s
Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55):
Mary sings: “He has helped his
servant Israel … just as He promised our ancestors" (1:54-55).
And Simeon sings: Yes, there will be
glory for Israel, but first the Messiah will be a light to the Gentiles. The
first will be last, the last will be first (2:32).
Mary sings: “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (1:52).
And Simeon sings: Yes, he will cause
the rising and falling of many. Many in Israel. He will be opposed. Oh Mary, it won’t look anything like
you expect (2:34).
Mary sings: “He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts" (1:51).
And Simeon sings: “So the thoughts
of many will be revealed” (2:35b). Not only the proud will be scattered. Not only
the mighty will fall. He has come to reveal the hearts of all of us.
Mary sings: "From now on all generations will call me blessed” (1:48b).
And Simeon sings: And that
blessedness will be through the soul-piercing sword (2:35a).
And as I listen to the song of Mary
and Simeon, woven together in harmony, I find my world shaken, my suppositions
exposed.
Maybe I’m wrong when I think the
blessed life is the easy life.
Maybe I’m mistaken when I believe
favor is when everything goes right.
Maybe God intends for my very soul
to be pierced.
A startling concept. A scary peek
into the intentions of the Spirit himself. Maybe pain is part of the plan.
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