I have been reading the story of Isaac in Genesis. The story where he is in the land of the Philistines and out of jealousy they are trying to drive Isaac and his family out of the land. They continue to cut off his water source by filling in his well. Instead of getting angry and causing a war with the philistines, he perseveres and digs a new well. This happens again and again. He was patient and obedient trusting that God would give him the land as promised and he didn’t move away. In the same way that is what my family is doing right now, we are digging wells.
Stanford was where we started. I still love my medical team there and if I
do end up being transplanted somewhere else I hope to be able to return my care
to them. I have been so blessed to have
a staff that is invested in my life, not just as a patient, but also as a
person.
You are probably familiar with the saying God does not call
the qualified, He qualifies the called.
In the same way that He chooses people whose lives will be a testimony
of His manifestation through them, He also allows chaotic situations where His
provision will be made the most evident. It took us one new battery, one battery charger, one socket set, two
screwdrivers, two power hijacks, three hours of sleep, 3 helpful locals, one
off duty cop and we made it to our appointment! Oh and one Powerful providing
God!!!
We got back in our car after stopping for dinner at In-N-Out and
our headlights started going in and out.
It wasn’t long before the battery light was coming on and we running on
9 volts. We made it to Walmart right off
of the Willows exit where thankfully we were in luck with a 24-hour store. Out front we were able to find an
outlet. My dad went inside to buy a new
battery, tools, and an extension cord. I
remember thinking, thankfully I have dry shampoo, there is a bathroom, and I
don’t need power to run my IVs, I could spend the night here and be just
fine. As far as making it to the
appointment, I wasn’t quite as convinced of that.
After a long night and a lot of repetitious prayer and battery
recharges we made it into San Francisco.
We had just taken our exit when we found ourselves in another near
battery failure. Looking for parking is
not an easy task. We headed down a hill
and saw the other side of the street was empty so my dad went to make a
u-turn. As soon as our car was perfectly
perpendicular the battery died and we rolled forward with a lurch knocking into
some garbage cans. Cars were trying to get around us as my dad and
brother jumped out of the Tahoe. Quick,
Chinese fire drill! My mom hopped into
the driver seat and tried with all of her strength to turn the wheel. The advancement of power steering we take for
granted became very evident. Suddenly a
few people came out of their houses and a man walking by dropped his bag and together
they all pushed. The car was now
parallel to the curb and with a few handshakes and breathy thank you’s our
local heroes were about their daily business.
A car pulled up and a man jumped out, “Can someone who is not out of breathe
please answer me, do you need a tow truck?”
Oh, sir we were in need of a lot more than a tow truck. My mom told him we were on our way to a
transplant evaluation and without hesitation he said “get your daughter in my
car right now.” My mom and I got in to
find out he was an undercover cop on his day off and he was now our personal escort
to the hospital. He radioed his friends
to tell them he would be late to breakfast, he had decided to do the “good Christian
thing” and help us out. Little did he
understand the truth in that statement.
I have said it before and I will say it again. The decision of the transplant facilities will
not break me because my hope is not in them, their doctors, or their surgeons,
my hope is in Christ. As confusing as
that might seem to me at times, I know that He is the one who sustains me and
will never forsake me. So, as hard as
the future might be to face, I know that it is a far more perfect plan than I can understand.
