As I sat there I felt the Holy Spirit say "you must apologize". My mind and spirit struggled as he owed me an apology! I deserved it! I needed it! I wanted it! But God...
Isn't life full of "but God" moments?
I went to the Mbabane Hospital today. This is the place that sent us on a one year medical journey and nearly sent me home to Jesus. I went to see the surgeon that operated on me. As we made eye contact I nearly froze. I haven't spoken to him since I was ambulanced to South Africa in March 2012. Followed by 11 months of pain, suffering and agony with 13 surgeries and extraordinary expenses.
We shook hands and went to his office to speak. And that is when I heard "you must apologize" in my spirit. I looked at him and my compassion increased as I recognized that he had done the best he could with what he had available and I said "Dr. I am So very sorry, im sorry for the bitterness and im sorry for the anger I have had for you and shared with others. Can you forgive me?"
There
Was
A
Long
Pause...
He bit his lip as it quivered and began to twitch a little-adjusting in his seat and looked up with tear filled eyes and said "I am so very humbled and amazed that YOU would apologize to me. Because of your case I have second guessed most of my cases and become a liberal user of CT scans"
I shared that I love him and had God not used this situation that there would be many others that would not have heard the saving gospel message. And shared a few examples of those that had come into our journey.
He sunk in his chair and I could see his heart leap at discovery that something bad was turned to something so very good.
He remarked "I'm not very religious(hey, me neither I joked) but there is no question after all of this that God was in control"
Freedom on a day that my American friends and family celebrate freedom. But this is the freedom we all look for in life; freedom in Christ, and I could be behind bars, beaten and abused and still be the free-est man alive.
We parted hoping to both see each other again, prayed, hugged and said goodbye.
mitch & char
4 comments:
Amazing! I just read this to John while we both cried. And it's not easy to cry and read at the same time!
True compassion. Agape. Love goes out of it's way to recover and restore. Love. What a shining example of God's grace. Wow!
VICTORY!! In Jesus, for Jesus!! Wonderful news my brother!!
WOW! Your obedience to the Holy Spirit has given me goose bumps, Mitch. Thank you for going through what you did, for listening, for being obedient and for shining forth the LIGHT in the midst of it all!
Pam
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