The other day Santy and I were able to reconnect with an old friend in ministry who is now retired.  During our conversation I had the chance to ask him, what his activities were.  He said he no longer preached and had no more pastoral duties, so most of the time he just stayed home with his wife.  When I asked him how he felt about it, he told me that he did not like it.  The only thing that brings joy to his life now is his grandchildren, whom he gets to see and play with.

I must say, amen, to that!  Grandchildren are truly God’s Christmas gifts to us, older folks, who do not care for toys anymore. 

During recovery, we did not get to visit our grandchildren for a week.  We missed them, and they missed us, too.  To comfort us, our daughter, then, decided to interview one of our grandchildren.  She began by asking whether he missed me, his grandpa.  He said, yes.  She, then, asked what he wished to do if I could be there with him.  He answered that he’d like to put me in bed. She, then, asked what he would like to do to me in bed.  He replied, “surgery.”

Apparently, our daughter had told him that the reason I could not visit him was because I had to be in bed after my surgery.  In his three-year-old mind, he, then, connected the dots that surgery meant staying in bed.  And because what he wanted the most was for me to be in bed with him, so the word surgery just blurted out of his mouth.  He would “surgery” me so I could spend time with him.

There are times that God must “surgery” us so we can spend time with him.  Unlike our grandson, when God “surgery” us, it is not for His sake but for ours.  He knows that we need to spend time with Him, so we don’t overdo and burn ourselves out.  So, when He notices that we have no more time for Him, He will “surgery” us.

Pastor Paul