A couple of examples of great service providers in our community gave me cause for pause in feeling an awesome sense of gratitude recently. One was a personal instance not long ago of neuro-surgery at Vancouver's General Hospital.
Having served in pastoral ministry for more than 40 years I have had many occasions to provide spiritual care for patients in
hospitals.
But I have never before found myself on the other side of that service requiring the medical care I've just experienced.
It started with a symptom of hearing loss in my left ear more than two years ago.
Subsequent MRI testing produced evidence of a benign kind of tumour (vestibular schwannoma) that had affixed itself to my left
auditory nerve.
The tumour was pressing the nerve against the bone at the opening into my skull impairing my hearing drastically.
Further tests showed that it was growing very slowly and should be removed in order to prevent other sensitive nerve damage.
Surgery took place two-and-a-half weeks ago. Despite its length of seven hours, I was surprised by how painless and peaceful the whole experience was for me. I like to joke that for the neuro-surgeon it must have been a no-brainer.
Yet I can't emphasize enough how impressed I was by the expertise of the surgeons, nursing care, and hospital staff.
During my short stay of four days, I estimate that approximately 50 people provided some level of personal care for me.
Each one had a specific role to play and did it with professional precision.
Though I know it's costly, I am very grateful for the medical care and expertise that we enjoy in our country.
But beyond that, I am extremely grateful for a host of family and friends who prayed for the success of my surgery and for my recovery during this time. Medical science is amazing; but it is limited. Some answers to our questions in these circumstances can only be addressed from a spiritual dimension. And I love the way God's revelation in the Bible is able to do that for us.
As I recuperate during these days I am also sharing in the experience of my wife's retirement from a teaching career of some 21 years.
As her husband, I know something of the many hours beyond the classroom that people in her profession give to their work and to the education of our children. As I observed and listened
recently to presentations made for retiring teachers at a banquet for School District 57 in their honour I couldn't help but be deeply impressed again by the quality and quantity of professional service teachers provide in our communities.
Medical staff and teachers: this is a good time to thank God deeply and personally for these two important groups of service providers in our community.
Yet we need to keep their work in perspective. Beyond their good work, it's important to recognize our ultimate dependence on God for health, for true wisdom, and for our eternal well-being.
