In 2006 I was admitted to the hospital with some serious issues. I had a perforated ulcer in my stomach that had been misdiagnosed as kidney stones. For 6 days I drank fluids hoping to pass the phantom kidney stones and for six days I got sicker and sicker and sicker. All the fluids I was taking in were filling my abdominal cavity (this is a bad thing) and after nearly a week I had become completely septic. Basically I was so full of infection that all of my vital organs were on the verge of shutting down. When I was admitted to the hospital it was because I was being rushed to emergency surgery to save my life. They used the trauma unit emergency room and I laid on my back looking up at the blinding lights while a team of literally dozens of professionals surrounded me and prepared to send me to the operating room.
I was scared.
I don’t know that I’ve ever felt more helpless in my entire life than I did in that moment.
I prayed.
I prayed harder than I’ve ever prayed in my entire life.
I was newly married with our first child only months from joining our family. I was worried about them and had to think about the reality of them moving on without me.
I prayed for them.
It may sound like I’m being dramatic, but I assure you the situation was very real and very serious.
I made it through surgery but the next 7 days were touch and go, from what I’ve been told anyway.
I had a temperatures of 108 which could have easily caused brain damage. Actually, that might explain a lot…
I was basically unconscious and completely incoherent for an entire week.
During that week my family prayed for me. I could feel their strength helping me through.
I spent another two weeks after that in the hospital and about 3 months after that dealing with an abdominal surgical wound that just wouldn’t heal.
Now I don’t share this experience for your pity. That experience helped me to learn that I’m a fighter, no matter what.
I share the experience with you because of all the prayers that were said during that rough patch. Praying was easy. I was begging for mercy and for a miracle. I was praying in desperation. I was praying like my life depended on it… because it did.
But what happens when life is good? Do we immediately recognize our blessings as earned or deserved? Or do we realize that this life is a gift?
The reason I ask is because I’ve found myself slipping as of late. I haven’t been taking the time to give thanks to God for all of the amazing gifts in my life. With the value of time being at a premium these days it’s almost tempting to go hire somebody to take care of my praying for me. And just how ridiculous does that sound?
Ridiculous right? Right.
That would be like hiring somebody to workout for me. It sounds AWESOME at first, but believe it or not having someone sweat for you doesn’t help you out at all either. I guess it would let you mark it off the to do list, but as far as the stress release, health promoting goodness that a workout provides, you wouldn’t be getting any of it.
I won’t go into the next part too far because this post is already getting lengthy, but in the same way it was easy for me to remember to pray lying on my back in that emergency room, remembering and being motivated to exercise are easier to come by when you’re hooked up to an EKG machine or your doctor is discussing blood pressure medication with you at the age of 28.
There are a few things that only we have control of. Our health is one, prayer is another. Spending time with family falls in there too. The point is that there are things in our lives that, no matter what time management techniques we use, have to be made priorities. There are things that only we can do. No one can do them for us. And as nice as having someone do them for us sounds, how would we ever learn or grow without taking control and taking action?
I’m grateful to be alive today and I’m grateful for a second chance at health. I am truly blessed.
There may come a point in my life when I have someone trying on socks or scheduling my next appointment for me (yeah, right), but you will never find me with a prayer intern.
Never.
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