My Ongoing “Sudden Terror”

Yes, I went to the ER again on Tuesday, May 3rd! Upon waking up that morning, I found that the left side of my face had become numb; the first thought that came to my mind was that I had had a stroke. My wife and I rushed to the ER, something we had done three times in a row only 9 weeks earlier. (See my previous post)
5 weeks earlier we had also gone to the ER while visiting Turkey. (See my previous post)
The medical staff were, as before, very professional and personal. I was immediately admitted and was given a CT scan even before being asked to change my clothes. Thankfully, the diagnosis was not a stroke but a temporary condition called Bell’s Palsy. I was sent home with prescriptions and God also provided a brother who is doing acupuncture for me.

On my followup medical visit, the specialist, who is a humorous man, told me to watch a comedy to laugh more in order to exercise the facial muscles; I told him I was already watching one! He assured me that the situation was benign and would resolve itself within a few months.

This seemed to be yet another setback along with others which I have been experiencing over the past few months. But I can only continue to trust God that He is good asI have found through all of my life that “in His time He makes everything beautiful”. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) And, interestingly, every time I share about my “new” illness, many tell me that they have had the same illness before! That I was not the only one to experience a particular illness always gives me some comfort, but the challenge for me is that each one makes its appearance on the heels of another.

Indeed, the birth of Trumpeter Ministries came about as a result of retinal detachments in both eyes for which I had four surgeries in 2016 and two surgeries in 2019. (See my previous post)
So I am learning, perhaps ironically, that illness can serve as a sign from God to move forward.

It is truly God’s grace that the overall response to the message of Trumpeter Ministries has been beyond my imagination. This response has grown, as everywhere I go, I see and hear of the same situation experienced by many families: their children, even those who had grown up attending church regularly, have turned away from the living God (or never have come to faith in God). I pray that more and more churches will come to recognize that our own children are the most important yet most neglected mission field, and that Children’s Sunday School and youth group meetings alone cannot build up our children to face today’s (or even yesterday’s) challenges. As the Great Commission is the Church’s main focus, we need to pour all of our resources towards saving our own children.

When a soldier goes out to the battlefield, he risks losing his life or being injured, so my illnesses may just be considered as injuries sustained on the battlefield. There are ways to keep going forward; when Bell’s Palsy hinders me from speaking, I can still write. I am also encouraged that everywhere I go, I see an increasing number of parents standing up for God’s name and for the souls of their own children. I am glad and honored to be on the battlefield and not in my own comfort zone.

Paul experienced many hardships for the sake of the Gospel yet did not lose heart. Instead, he bounced back every time even stronger, because in him was a treasure: the surpassing power of God! This was the secret of Paul’s ability to keep on going in spite of mounting obstacles. 

Just like a child’s tumbler toy always bounces back due to its weighted base, we Christians should “bounce back”! Yes, we are “afflicted in every way” (pushed down), “but not crushed” (we bounce back), “perplexed” (pushed down), “but not driven to despair” (we bounce back), “persecuted” (pushed down), “but not forsaken” (we bounce back), “struck down” (pushed down), “but not destroyed” (we bounce back)! Let every incident of suffering or being pushed down cause our “old selves” to die with Jesus, so that the surpassing power of God can help us to bounce back to manifest the life of Jesus in our bodies. Yes, there will be some setbacks, but we shall bounce back… all because of the surpassing power of God in us!