Perseverance

So today’s sermon at church today was on perseverance (which is surprisingly hard to spell) and don’t you know it that it was one of those days that you feel like the sermon is only for you.  If anyone else who was at church is reading this I’m sorry but it wasn’t for you it was for Kate and I, you can have the next one.

I know the blog was promised to be moving forward through the story, but with Kate’s insistence (and I always listen to my wife)  I have decided to talk about today’s service and how it applies to what we have been going through specifically since last Friday. 

For those of you who are close to the process of going through the kidney donation you know we have had quite a few delays in getting approved to be the donor.  Actually still to this point I have not been 100% approved to be Ashley’s donor.  That is just really crazy to say or think after having agreed to be tested in the fall of 2010, and going through the process of finding out if I was a match in May of 2011.

At this point in the process; although I know it is horrible to say or even think Kate and I just really want the process to be over, to have a date and know the surgery is going to happen.

Back to Friday.

I was scheduled to meet with a local Nephrologist (kidney doctor) on Friday at 1:20, the reason for this visit was because the nephrologist who I met with at UNC had actually consulted on Ashley’s case and by North Carolina law I am required to see an impartial doctor.   So I showed up for my appointment and they ask me if I had brought any of my paperwork, (did I mention that this appointment was set up by UNC) which I had no idea I needed to bring.  So know we are scrambling to try to contact my case worker at UNC and get the information to the doctor.  I was able to search my emails on my HTC EVO (wonder if I could get a sponsorship) and find my records and email them to the doctor’s office so we could have the appointment.  Praise God, there wasn’t another delay because of this.

The doctor’s visit went well, he seemed to think everything checked out, however as he was reading my case he realized my father has some health issues that he was worried could possibly be hereditary.  He said he was 99% sure he would sign off, but he needed to talk to my father’s doctor before he could give me the OK.  The best way I can explain my feelings on Friday afternoon is I came home and hit about 50 golf balls into the lake behind my house, and after that I was still a little frustrated.  Fortunately it was basketball night so I got to run some of that off.  I also realize that this really seems like a small inconvenience, and really it is, but it’s just not always that easy to see the forest through the trees (that cliché is dedicated to Steve Riniker). 

Now Kate and I both are thankful to have a team of doctor’s that are looking out for my best interest, but at this point we have had to get a total of what seems like 100 doctors to sign off that I’m ok to donate and now we are just adding one more (it has only really been 5). 

So my dad is going to have to call his doctor on Monday and give her approval to talk to my doctor before we can go in front of the board at Chapel Hill again.  Hopefully this will happen quickly but you know how it is with doctors (sorry if there are any doctors who are reading this, the majority of my experiences have been great).

So now you are up to date and back to the message, John spoke about patience and perseverance and God’s timing.  He spoke much more elegantly than I can about how are faith in God, helps us to grow as we have our own personal struggles.

As it clearly says in 2 Peter 1:5-7 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”

Kate and I know that God has a plan for this surgery, he has a date picked out and a time to do it, and sometimes it is very hard to not push your own will onto the situation though.  We will patiently (and sometimes impatiently) wait for his timing and move forward on this with prayer and petition. 

We were very comforted by the message today and are thankful that God gave us ears to hear it.  I would like to leave you with the following verse.

2^nd Peter 3:8-9 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”