by Ruth
Yet I still struggled. With Ken’s surgery approaching, my faith bounced up and down like a seesaw. The night before the surgery, I lay awake in bed, fear and anxiety flooding my soul.
Hearing Ken’s familiar snoring, I asked myself, “He is the one who will face the scalpel tomorrow. He can sleep so peacefully. Why can’t I? What is the difference between us?”
I prayed in the darkness. A faint tune leaped into my ears, a familiar melody, “It is well with my soul.”
Who was singing at such a late hour? One stanza popped into my head. “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”
A strong sense of peace enveloped my whole being. I drifted off to sleep.
The next day, we went to Evanston Hospital early in the morning. In the preparation room, Ken chatted and joked with me, as if nothing was happening.
The nurses asked him, “Aren’t you worried?”
Ken replied, “Not too much.”
One of them said, “I’ve seen many patients undergo this operation. As you know, it has certain risks. You’re the first one I’ve met who seems unconcerned. What is your secret?”
He didn’t have the chance to share his secret because it was time to get into the operating room.
While I was reading in the waiting area, Jonathan called again. “Mom, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” I shared with him how I received the assurance from the Lord that no matter what happened, we belonged to Him.
“Glad to hear that. Mom, I love you. I’ll be praying for Dad.”
Besides the call from our son, different brothers and sisters showed up to pray with me. Sister Lily, who worked as an anesthesiologist at the hospital, sat next to me and patted my arm. “Mrs. Wong, you don’t look anxious at all. You have such great faith.”
“Thank you. I was quite worried for a long time.” I told her how the Lord comforted me, twice with scriptures and once with a hymn. “My faith is small, like a mustard seed. By myself, I can’t go through this. With the Lord by my side, I feel okay.”
Before Lily went away, she hugged me. “Mrs. Wong, may God’s protection be upon you and Pastor Ken.”
Four hours later, I was allowed to see my husband in the recovery room. “How are you?”
He gave me a broad smile. “It’s amazing. I no longer feel the tingling sensation and numbness. I think the procedure worked.”
I grasped his fingers. “You’ve just come out of general anesthesia. Maybe it’s too early to tell.”
“No. The doctor said I should feel the difference right away.”
My heart turned to God. Moisture gathered in my eyes, and I grinned.
Lord, thank You. It’s time to laugh. It’s time to dance.
