Where Do You Find Hope When Things Go Wrong?

On Tuesday evening I went to bed with a stomach ache hoping I would feel better in the morning.  Instead, I woke up at about 1:00am and the pain was much worse.  It had also spread from above my belly button to the lower right side of my abdomen.  I’m no doctor, but I know the symptoms of appendicitis.  I am also quite stubborn when it comes to doctors so I sat around and waited for about two hours before I reluctantly decided I needed to go to the emergency room.  I woke my roommate up and asked him to drive me, and at 3:00am we were off to the hospital. 

When I got to the hospital the doctors asked me a ton of questions, ran some blood work, and did a CT scan of my abdomen.  My symptoms and blood work suggested appendicitis and then the CT scan confirmed it.  They said I would need surgery… by the time I got this news my roommate had left; I was by myself.  It was about 5:30am and my family lives about three hours away, but I knew I needed to call them and let them know what was going on.  I woke them up and they said they would make the trip down to Raleigh as soon as possible.

It was nearly 11:00am before they actually took me back for surgery; this gave me a lot of time to think.  For those of you who know me well, you know I have had a lot of health problems over the years and I’ve been through a multitude of tests and procedures.  Those who know me even better know that I tend to get very anxious about things even if I don’t always show it.  As I lay in the hospital bed awaiting surgery, I was surprised that I was not stressed out or worried.  I certainly did not want to have it done, but I had a certain peace about it.  I’ve been through a lot of medical issues, so this was almost normal for me.  Beyond that I also felt like God was giving me an inner peace.  I knew that everything would be alright because God was with me.  Even if the surgery failed and I died, I know that I am right with God.  Because of Jesus’ death on the cross and his offer of forgiveness to those who repent and believe… I know that no matter what happens, I will be ok.  God will take care of me one way or another.

I can’t imagine what life would be like without that kind of hope!  I really don’t understand how people do it without losing their minds… some people may say that Jesus is just a crutch, but I need a crutch!  I’m broken… no matter what I do, there will always be things that are out of my control.  I don’t just believe in God like a fairy tale or because my parents believed. I believe because I know God personally.  You can’t not know God once you have known him.  It changes your life!  I also believe because I see the evidence so clearly in the world I live in.  Something clearly isn’t right in a world where there are surgeries, sickness, violence, pain, and suffering.  The Bible says that sin is the cause of all of that.  It also says that Jesus came to take care sin on the cross and will one day return to put an end to it for good.  What a beautiful hope that is!

This past week was the kind of week where it seemed like nothing went right.  There were a lot of things I needed to do that didn’t get done, and I had a lot of stress in other areas of my life.  The appendicitis was only the lowest point for a week that had a lot of low points. Thankfully in the midst of it all, I had hope!  The Apostle Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18) I believe that the worst of the worst cannot compare to the good that is coming because I know Jesus.  That gives me hope… do you have that hope?

For another post that talks about why the world is so broken, see Why Does The World Seem So Messed Up?