February 27, 2021
The following was voice recorded by Pastor Ko. Thanks to a sister who transcribed it.
Last Monday (February 15) I went to see my surgeon. Before I left, I asked him, “Can I reduce my feeding tube time from 12 hours a day to eight hours?” He said, “We will evaluate it when you have gained five more pounds.” I thought to myself, “To add five pounds would be really difficult for me. I wonder how long it will take for me to reach this goal!” So, I was a little sad.
That night, we had a phone conversation with a brother who had his stomach completely removed more than a decade ago. He told us that after the operation, he had chemotherapy and it took about a year or two for him to fully recover. He said his life now is quite normal. There are times when he goes out to eat buffet in restaurants and even eat a plate and a half of food, which is about what an average person eats. My heart was very grateful to the Lord, knowing that I can recover to live a normal life, too. Although the road to recovery is long, by the grace of God, I will certainly be able to recover. It has only been three months since my surgery. Compared to this brother, I have surely progressed fast, and I thank the Lord for that. There is still a long way to go, and I will continue to look upon the Lord and put my trust in Him. God is sure to complete His work.
In recent days, God also encouraged me with Psalm 33:20-22: ” Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in You.” Thank the Lord, I have been putting my trust in Him and looked upon Him since my youth years. Facing my current situation, although the recovery will take a long time, I will continue to trust the Lord and rejoice in Him. I have trusted Him in the past. I will trust in His name even more now. God has been working in my life in the past. I believe that He will continue His work in me. So, I will continue to look to Him, because His acts of lovingkindness and grace are so rich and marvelous, worthy of our unceasing reliance upon His Holy Name. Amen!
(Published on February 28, 2021)