The "Never-ending" Surgery

He must increase, but I must decrease. - John 3:30

For twenty something years, I have been able to proudly claim "No I have never been through any surgery." whenever I was asked (mostly for medical reasons). Now this luck is about to come to an end, with my scheduled surgery in a couple of weeks, to take out my wisdom teeth. Many of you might still say, "Well, if that is the only surgery you will have in this life, you are still very blessed!" Quite true. Unfortunately, I have just discovered lately, according to the Scripture, this will NOT be my only surgery in this life; in fact, I am probably "doomed" for a never-ending surgery!



A couple of days ago, as I read through a devotional book, the author brought up a very insightful thought about God's love and our suffering on earth - she compared God to an experienced surgery, that He may at times have to hurt us, but He never intends to harm us. In fact, He has promised us "a plan to prosper and not to harm" (Jeremiah 29:11). So I immediately started thinking further with this metaphor of God being a surgeon. When we are in good physical health, we don't need a surgeon (or surgery); but whenever there is something wrong with our bodies, we do need a surgeon to take the problematic part out (whether it is an aching wisdom tooth or a cancerous cluster), so that the health of our entire body would not be at risk. Having an experienced surgeon that we fully trust in the case of a physical surgery is definitely a blessing. Similarly, when our spirit is "sick" because of something, we need some spiritual surgeon we trust to take that out as well. Fortunately, our ultimate spirit surgeon, is the One who is all knowing and all powerful. It is the One whom we ultimately lay our trust on.

So far everything sounds great - sometimes God allows us to go through suffering, to feel the pain and the hurt, but He never intends to harm us. All that He chose to do is necessary to get rid of "the bad parts"; none of our pain or hurt is in vain because of His "medical mistake". Feeling quite encouraged, I went on with the devotional book. Two paragraphs later, I was reminded of a much sadder fact - it is not just a small cancerous part of us that needs to be cut off, it is our very own selves, entirely! In fact, we are called to make the daily choice of dying to ourselves and following Jesus. We go through pain and suffering the entire time on earth, not just once in a while, because every bit of "ourselves" needs to go! Now this idea doesn't sound like a good idea anymore - it is like saying, we are each guaranteed for a "never-ending" surgery as long as we live in this world!

Then today I read two versus from Habakkuk 3:17-18 and Daniel 3:17-18:
Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.
- Habakkuk 3: 17-18
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. - Daniel 3: 17-18

Both are making the same point: we are called to by faith obey and rejoice in the Lord regardless of the circumstance. Even though we are destined for small or big "surgeries" everyday in this life, our promise is that each one of these surgeries, big or small, is necessary to refine our characters and make us more and more like Jesus. The reason we can survive all these lies in the One who we put our trust in, the One who is able.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23: 4
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9

And after all these, we are called to rejoice, for God is our joy, our peace, our hope, and our exceedingly great reward.