I will praise Him

This may seem like a dull blog post.  But God has proven Himself to be faithful to me even in what is not very important to most people.  This past weekend, I got very sick.  I think I may have had food poisoning.  Living in a small room, on the top bunk, without a bathroom in our cabin (it is a ways down the public hallway), does not make for a very "good" sick experience!  Anyone who thinks that being on a surgery ship is glamorous, well let me tell you, at three o'clock in the morning, it's not! (:

And yet during an awful night, feeling the worst I have ever been physically, I was so grateful to be reminded that I need to praise God in the dark as well as the light.  It sounds funny to talk of now, but I thought of the song, "I Will Praise You" by Ginny Owens.

Paul gives the example of praising God through difficulty when he wrote the Philippian Christians from prison to encourage them to have joy.  He knew what it was like, regardless of his environment and regardless of how people treated him, to be content (Phil. 4:11-13).  This was only because of the strength which God had given him to have contentment.  Paul couldn't do it on his own.  I cannot be content on my own either.

After a long night spent on the floor of the public bathroom, God sent a friend who stopped and prayed with me when she saw me.  All I had wanted was to be a little girl, home with my mom comforting me, like she used to do when I was little and got sick.  But my friend gave me a hug and prayed for me, and I will never forget this!  Sometimes we do not know how powerful our actions really are.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou

God was so merciful to me in many ways over the weekend.  He showed that He is good and still to be praised, even when circumstances are difficult.  He also provided time for me to be with some of my precious patients!  Most of the plastic surgery patients have already left the hospital, but there are six people whose wounds are healing very slowly.  Because of this, they cannot be discharged from the hospital.  I think they are bored and lonely.  It has been a long journey for them.  Two of the ladies have been in the hospital for almost as long as I have been on the ship (approximately seven weeks now).  Seeing their kind and cheerful attitudes made me stop and think.  I want to complain about how I have been feeling, but they truly have something that they could complain about, should they choose.  One of the women was injured by her husband because she is a Christian.  He poured acid on her body and the skin was badly burned.  Even though the burns healed, she has lived through years of pain and suffering.  As the skin was healing, it tightened and made it almost impossible for her to move her joints.  Life has been very difficult for her.

Living in Canada, where I have not been physically persecuted for following Jesus, it amazes me to see this woman's perseverance in following Him, even though it has meant physical and emotional pain.  How frequently do I complain about minor things?  How often am I afraid of what people will think of me because I know Jesus?  But knowing Jesus means I have no reason at all to fear or hide!

Because of Jesus, I am saved from my sins and have been washed clean!

Because of Jesus, I have joy that goes beyond any human understanding!

I believe that the trade off is never too great.  There is nothing in this world that is worth having, at the cost of giving up my relationship with Jesus!

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?  For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" - Mark 8:34-37