His Grace is Enough
Hello friends :)
I actually wasn't planning to share this, but God's grace is just too great not to be shared!
As some of you already know, my brother Jacky went to the emergency room Wednesday night. For the second time within 2 months, he was diagnosed with pneumothorax - there were holes in his lung, causing his lung to collapse. Now I can't say pneumothorax is a very serious condition; after all, it's suppose to be pretty common to skinny asian boys like my brother. Indeed, in Oct when his left lung collasped, the doctor just did a small surgery to fix up the holes. However what shocked me the most was the aftermath: the waiting time at the ER, the pain associated with the surgery, the emotional consequences in the whole family, etc... There was even a time when I didn't want to go to the hospital to visit because I felt useless just standing around.
So things haven't been easy, especially a few days ago when Jacky's right lung collapsed. With my exams just finishing, it definitely wasn't a pleasant way to start off my holiday. In fact, my mind was blank from the news; I just couldn't understand why the same thing happened again. Although I knew that God would never give something to us if we can't handle it, but I couldn't keep my thought away from the many doubts. Why again? Why does this happen to his other lung too? Why must he suffer the pain of surgery again? Was one time not enough?!
Perhaps this was a spiritual attack from Satan. With Urbana coming around the corner, I suddently felt like I didn't want to go. Looking at the Urbana theme "you have a calling", I kept asking if God has really called me to go. I mean, how can I be away from my family at this time? How can I serve other people when I am so helpless in front of my very own brother?
But God is just amazing, His grace is truely enough. Just when I felt burnout from all the emotional stress, He came to me with a message. Instead of having both his lungs collapsing at the same time, God gave my brother a period of 2 months to rest in between. If both of them collapsed at the same time, it would have been very dangous (as I assume you wouldn't be able to breathe...) In fact, one famous HK celebrity died because both her lungs collapsed at the same time! And of course, God's timing is always right. If this were to happen next year when he will be in grade 12, it might be difficult to keep up with school. Worst, if his lungs collapsed let's say on the plane, the consequences would have been deadly.
Perhaps this doesn't mean much to you... I mean, things usually seem less significant when it happens to someone else. But I believe God's grace is just as significant in each of our lives. Maybe you don't see it now, but God is always there, blessing our everydays. If you are going through some tough times now, or feel like you want to give up - DON'T! I know God is here, and if you just put your faith into Him, you will soon see his amazing work in your lives.
In the end, I just want to thank all those who have prayed for Jacky and my family. Jacky's surgery is tomorrow (Monday, December 18) at 8am 5pm. Thus, i t would be great if you can continue to keep him in your prayers (for his surgery and his healing).
Thank you once again, and I pray that you and I will see how God has blessed each one of us each day, and how He has given us the most beautiful gift we can ever imagine.
Love in Him always,
Christine
I actually wasn't planning to share this, but God's grace is just too great not to be shared!
As some of you already know, my brother Jacky went to the emergency room Wednesday night. For the second time within 2 months, he was diagnosed with pneumothorax - there were holes in his lung, causing his lung to collapse. Now I can't say pneumothorax is a very serious condition; after all, it's suppose to be pretty common to skinny asian boys like my brother. Indeed, in Oct when his left lung collasped, the doctor just did a small surgery to fix up the holes. However what shocked me the most was the aftermath: the waiting time at the ER, the pain associated with the surgery, the emotional consequences in the whole family, etc... There was even a time when I didn't want to go to the hospital to visit because I felt useless just standing around.
So things haven't been easy, especially a few days ago when Jacky's right lung collapsed. With my exams just finishing, it definitely wasn't a pleasant way to start off my holiday. In fact, my mind was blank from the news; I just couldn't understand why the same thing happened again. Although I knew that God would never give something to us if we can't handle it, but I couldn't keep my thought away from the many doubts. Why again? Why does this happen to his other lung too? Why must he suffer the pain of surgery again? Was one time not enough?!
Perhaps this was a spiritual attack from Satan. With Urbana coming around the corner, I suddently felt like I didn't want to go. Looking at the Urbana theme "you have a calling", I kept asking if God has really called me to go. I mean, how can I be away from my family at this time? How can I serve other people when I am so helpless in front of my very own brother?
But God is just amazing, His grace is truely enough. Just when I felt burnout from all the emotional stress, He came to me with a message. Instead of having both his lungs collapsing at the same time, God gave my brother a period of 2 months to rest in between. If both of them collapsed at the same time, it would have been very dangous (as I assume you wouldn't be able to breathe...) In fact, one famous HK celebrity died because both her lungs collapsed at the same time! And of course, God's timing is always right. If this were to happen next year when he will be in grade 12, it might be difficult to keep up with school. Worst, if his lungs collapsed let's say on the plane, the consequences would have been deadly.
Perhaps this doesn't mean much to you... I mean, things usually seem less significant when it happens to someone else. But I believe God's grace is just as significant in each of our lives. Maybe you don't see it now, but God is always there, blessing our everydays. If you are going through some tough times now, or feel like you want to give up - DON'T! I know God is here, and if you just put your faith into Him, you will soon see his amazing work in your lives.
In the end, I just want to thank all those who have prayed for Jacky and my family. Jacky's surgery is tomorrow (Monday, December 18) at 8am 5pm. Thus, i t would be great if you can continue to keep him in your prayers (for his surgery and his healing).
Thank you once again, and I pray that you and I will see how God has blessed each one of us each day, and how He has given us the most beautiful gift we can ever imagine.
Love in Him always,
Christine