Category Archives: Submitting to God

Small Beginnings

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Most people are curious about the Mayo Clinic and how it grew to be globally acclaimed in the medical world. Interestingly, its origin was like many other start-ups: really small.

Franciscan SisterThough the Clinic currently employs some 29,000 people, 124 years ago when it began it was just 27 beds in a small building located in the middle of a cornfield. Patients were served by a handful of Franciscan Nuns who were mostly school teachers, not nurses, unaccustomed to blood and bandages.

The only physicians were two brothers, Will and Charlie Mayo, and their father William. Will and Charlie had no hospital experience, and their father was already 70 years old when the clinic was just getting off the ground. By all rights this humble beginning ought not to have grown into a globally recognized medical empire.

There was another problem, too. In the small town of Rochester, many people were critical of a partnership made between Protestants (the Mayo family) and Catholics (the Sisters). But in spite of their sometimes divergent beliefs, they shared an overriding mission: to care for not just bodies but each person as a whole. Protestants and Catholics found common ground in believing their hospital work was more of a ministry than a business.

photo(119)But isn’t that always true when God is the Initiator of something new? He sees to it that insurmountable odds are overcome and the impossible is made possible. If we cooperate with him, taking care not to superimpose our ideas over his, he takes responsibility for the outcome, which always concludes well. But if we insist on tweaking his plans, we’re headed for conflict.

That can be true in business, ministry, marriage, friendship, government, and the church. When we let God lead (which includes us being content to hang back and follow), the results will be spectacular. Opposing sides will find themselves getting along, and divisions will melt away.

The picture of Mayo Clinic’s divergent founders accomplishing something significant in unity is a good illustration of another pair of groups originally in opposition to each other: humanity and divinity. These two were about as far apart as any two groups could be, with no hope for compatibility or unity. It was permanently impossible… until the day Jesus died on the cross.

That willing sacrifice changed everything. As a result, human lives can now intersect with the divine, not as enemies but as friends, a reconciliation that will have dramatic consequences throughout eternity.

Though the Mayo Clinic’s history is a remarkable one, salvation’s story far surpasses it. Not everyone will be part of the Clinic’s story, but all are invited to participate in salvation.

“God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Col. 1:19-20)

Mary’s Prayer Requests:

  1. For the feeding tube to work well. Since it is currently clogged, pray for an uncomplicated repair at the hospital tomorrow
  2. For abdominal/gas/hunger pains to cease.
  3. Praise for God’s Word, particularly for the book of James Mary is currently studying, and for Barb, who types and sends notes each week from the group study Mary is missing
  4. Praise for a good report from Dr. Truty today and the hope of returning home soon, to rest up for chemo

 

Healed?

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For the last month I’ve loved blogging about my favorite sister, Mary. But I know she feels funny having so much attention focused her way. But my idea, as well as hers, has been to update readers on her progress while simultaneously directing attention to the Lord, who has been dramatically present each day.

Several blog readers have made mention of beautiful St. Mary’s Hospital where Mary had her surgery (owned by Mayo Clinic), some having visited there themselves, and one having trained as a nurse there.

photo(120)Just before surgery, Mary, Luke, and Stina took a brief walk around the historied hospital and ended up standing in the cathedral-like chapel, being reminded that God the Healer was at work within that medical complex.

Hospitals are full of doctors, nurses, medicines, and all manner of healing equipment. But behind all of those is the control of the Great Physician. And he doesn’t just deal in physical healing but also that of the emotions, mind, spirit, and most importantly, the soul.

One blog reader, Ann, wrote, “I loved… the chapel within the hospital. It was always a picture to me that God is at the center of real healing.”

I think of all the healing Jesus did in scriptural stories, and it seems that nearly everyone who asked was healed. People followed him in a pack, carrying the injured and ill along with them, confident that Jesus would heal them all. And usually he did.

In Luke we read, “The people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” (6:19) So, why doesn’t he usually heal like that these days?

Healing 10 lepersThe only answer can be that he wants to use disease and accidents as teaching venues for healing in other categories. Maybe if our diseases were always healed outright, we’d walk away giddy with joy and forget to acknowledge or listen to the One who healed.

A biblical example of that shows 10 lepers racing off in their new, healthy bodies without acknowledging Jesus at all. Though one did come back, the majority didn’t. Maybe without our health struggles, we’d all be like that.

Mary doesn’t know what will happen in her earthly future, whether or not pancreatic cancer will revisit her, or if she’ll be healed. “There are no guarantees,” she said. But either way, her illness has driven her to the Lord with fresh eagerness to hear from him. Scripture has been her food, and she has gobbled up big helpings of it like never before.

Mary does have a guarantee about one thing in her future though. Her heavenly body, whenever it comes to her, will be miraculously healed, and that will include her heart, mind, and soul, too, because God will be the Healer who does it.

“I am God your healer.” (Exodus 15:26)

Mary’s prayer requests:

  1. Praise for gaining expertise with equipment and less dependence on pain meds.
  2. For a profitable visit with Dr. Truty Wednesday afternoon
  3. To find a comfortable position for better nighttime sleep

Weapons of War

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60-something baseballMy sister Mary has led a healthy life. She’s made wise decisions along the way, not smoking, drinking, overeating, or under-exercising. She’s avoided aspirin, Tylenol, and antibiotics whenever possible. The combination of those choices along with good genes, has resulted in a healthy life. No hospital stays except for giving birth, and no surgeries. She didn’t even have a doctor of her own.

Till now.

Suddenly she’s got a whole team of doctors. Cancer slammed into her life a month ago, and at a bare minimum, she’s majorly disappointed. If she let herself go to the maximum (which she hasn’t), she’d be scared stiff.

Mary’s healthy body has begun behaving badly. She might say, “That’s ok. I’m due.”

But in the dark of night anyone who’s experiencing a fresh challenge as she is can be emotionally jet-propelled to the disturbing thought, “What’s going to happen?”

But God is always way ahead of us and is ready for that question. When we’re lying in bed wide-eyed with anxiety, God steps out of the darkness and whispers, “Listen carefully. I’m well prepared for this, and if you’ll let me, I’ll get you ready in time for every new experience. And I’ll do that all the way through. Yes, ‘through’. You and I together will get to the other side of this crisis.

“I realize I’ve programmed you to plan ahead and make lists, which makes it all the harder to hear that your plans and lists must come beneath mine now. But here’s a new way to look at it. The reason I’ve let this crisis come is so you’ll learn more about Me and want to intensify your personal relationship with Me. I want you to want that as dearly as I do.”

God says all that and then waits for our response.

When we get sick, particularly with something as forceful as cancer, God is trying to teach a hard lesson about independence and dependence. In a health failure, for example, he’s letting us know we can no longer depend on our bodies to be a source of well-being. He is the only One who can consistently and permanently provide that, without failure.

Horses and chariotIn ancient times when kings needed to make a show of power and superiority, they turned to the biggest, swiftest resources of strength known to them: horses and chariots. With enough of those, they could win any war. At least that’s what they thought.

We know from Scripture that God conquered those horses and chariots in all kinds of unexpected ways: with confusion, loud noises, water, darkness, fire, and much more. With him it’s never about human weapons or strength but always about himself.

So we can view a health crisis as an ideal chance to discount a worrisome lack of resources and use it to get to know The Resource to end all resources: God All-Mighty.

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense.” (Isa. 12:2)

Mary’s prayer requests:

  1. Praise for a loving, caring family, including those who have gone before
  2. Praise for long-standing prayer partners
  3. Pray for unwavering faith and trust in the Lord
  4. Pray for courage as surgery gets closer