During the recent Thanksgiving holiday we had much to thank God for; for we were dramatically reminded of a few very important evidences of God's grace toward us. Thanks to a recent hospital visit, we were treated to a brief peek behind the curtain of what things could be like. Many of you already know about it, but some of you may not: Cindy called me at work at about 2:00PM one Monday: “Mike, I'm at the Doctors' office with Luke, (our two-year-old son), and I need you to leave work right now and come right away. Dr. Weisz says the X-Ray shows that there is some blockage in his bronchial passage. The ambulance is on it's way right now, OK?” “I'm on my way now,” I replied, not voicing the immediate thought (some kind of tumor?) that came to my mind

I got a more detailed explanation at the Doctors’ office (which relieved my initial panic), that a combination of Luke’s labored breathing, an X-Ray, poor blood oxygenation level, and the story of a fall the night before had all contributed to make the Doctor believe Luke had aspirated some food and it was blocking the passages in his lungs. The ambulance drivers got there just a few minutes after I did, and we waited for the next five hours, as hospitals were called to locate a pediatric bed. This gave us the opportunity to call some good friends from church to take Emily, (our four-year-old daughter), overnight. Finally, we were sent to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles because a bed was available in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Even then, we knew it was probably overkill for our situation to be placed in the PICU, but they had beds available, and no one else did. Luke seemed fine; his breathing was a little noisy, but we couldn’t take any chances. To shorten what could otherwise be a very long narrative, two more X-Rays, IVs and monitors, an overnight stay and consultation with several Doctors showed no serious problems, and it was the opinion of the CHLA staff that if Luke had indeed aspirated something, that it had already dissolved harmlessly or that it could have been a simple upper respiratory infection (“croup”) all along.

Do you remember the feeling of relief after final exams? During the course of the event, we found so much to be thankful for. The PICU at CHLA would be an excellent place for us to tour again if we're feeling sorry for ourselves. It's staffed by confident, cheerful heroes like Nurse Ally and Nurse Luke, who can only offer the occasional glimpse into what the struggles of their more typical patients must be like. The little girl in the next room was born on the same day as Luke, March 21, 2001; and they had no explanation for the her condition, other than that it would be a miracle if she survived what was happening to her, the inexplicable loss of all muscular function. It was like God gently reminding us, “it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23) Miracles do happen at this place with regularity, one nurse told us; confessing that she'd seen too many to doubt God's existence.

The hospital provides private bedrooms for parents to sleep in—so thoughtful, but also a deeply sobering thought, when you consider the many parents who spend the night there, fearful to leave their children because they might not survive the night. Luke woke up in the middle of the night when a monitor alarm went off after a shift in position made it stop reading correctly and Cindy and I took turns at the side of his crib until he went back to sleep. I probably spent nearly an hour in prayer just thanking God for every inch of his healthy little body—his hair, skin, skull, eyes, ears… down to feet and toes. I prayed for the other sick children in the ICU and for the Doctors and Nurses who are so joyously dedicated to an occupation that must often break their hearts.

To keep any of your worldly possessions: your house, car, job… even your very life, would you trade places with the parents of a terminally-ill child? Are you thankful for the wonderful people who work diligently to save the lives of others? Are you thankful for the 21st-century medical science we enjoy? For the abundance that allows us to benefit from it?

And what about tomorrow? Seeing that there's no guarantee that something tragic won't happen to you tomorrow, (James 4:14), what hope do you have for eternity? On what do you base whatever confidence you may have for the very first minute after your death? In the dim hope that your good deeds will outweigh your bad, the blind hope that there is no afterlife, or the brilliant hope, that sure and steadfast hope, that anchor for the soul for all who have fled to Christ for refuge, (Heb. 6:18-20), shining with the focus and clarity of a laser beam from the pages of God's Word? Are you thankful for the trustworthiness of our foundation, (1 Cor. 3:11), the simplicity the salvation message (2 Cor. 11:3), the certainty of your acceptance if you've been placed in Him?

 “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.”    (2 Cor. 2:14-16)

Praying for God’s blessings towards you for a joyous holiday season,

Mike & Cindy

“One day closer!” (Romans 13:11)