He Really Cares!
About a week ago, I had my first mammogram. It’s one of the things you have to look forward to when you turn 40. Hopefully, the sarcasm in that statement isn’t lost on any of you. Well, that morning I’d gotten off to a late start. Once I arrived at the facility, I had a hard time finding a parking spot. I finally got to the clinic, signed in and you guessed it, I couldn’t find my insurance card. What a day! At last I found the card in the place I always kept it, but for some reason, in my distress I was overlooking it.
As I turned in my paper work, a lady from behind the desk called my name. I moved in her direction to see what she might want when she said, “How are you Woman of God?” She must have seen the confusion on my face, because she just smiled and said, “You know I know you, don’t you?” I slowly replied, “Yes…” I was trying to figure out where I might know her from. She said, “I was at a conference last year and you were one of the speakers. My daughter and I really enjoyed you!” Wow, I thought, “I’m glad I’ve been on my best behavior!”
A short time later, she called me to the back and explained the process. I changed my clothes and put my belongings in a locker with Oprah’s name on it. Finally, things were looking up! I had my mammogram, which was, in fact, as uncomfortable as I’d imagined.
A couple days later, I received a call from the clinic saying they needed me to return for additional images on my left breast. I would have been alarmed, had the technician not told me during my visit, that it’s not uncommon for first timers to get called back because the radiologist doesn’t have a baseline image for comparison, so I almost expect the call.
I returned for my follow-up, and there my “friend” was in her usual spot. I’m sure she was surprised to see me, but she concealed her concern very well. As I sat in the waiting room this time, I saw a couple ladies who were obviously ill. In that moment, it occurred to me that everyone was not there for a routine visit. In fact, neither was I. In that moment, the enemy stepped in and did his job, he tried to insert fear. In the days between my initial appointment and today, I’d only thought of this as a routine follow-up, but now I began to imagine the worst case scenario. I felt panic rising within me.
It was at that moment that my “friend” called me to the back. Again, she explained to me the process for undressing, where I should store my clothes and where I should sit and wait to be called back. She turned to walk away and quickly turned back to face me. She said, “Oh, one last thing…” grabbed me, gave me the tightest hug and said, “I’m praying for you!”
As I sat in the waiting room waiting to be called for my second images, I heard God clearly say, “Do you see what I just did for you? I knew you would get anxious, so I sent an angel to comfort you and let you know everything is okay.” All of a sudden my anxiety left, because I realized that if God cared enough to send an angel to keep me from becoming overly anxious, whatever my diagnosis, He would make sure I’d be taken care of. Peace flooded my soul. I immediately felt invincible. I’d exchanged my anxiety for His peace.
I went on to have my second mammogram, a sonogram and was given a clean bill of health. Before I left, I stopped by the front desk to tell my “friend” thanks. She whispered, “Is everything okay?” I nodded, “Yes.” She said, “I knew it would be. You didn’t go in there alone.”
Three lessons I learned from this:
God REALLY cares!
He knows what potentially causes us anxiety, and He offers comfort. We have to accept it, even when it comes from a stranger.
God REALLY cares, and He never leaves us alone!
