The One Always by Your Side

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”. Hebrews 13:5

Having major surgery is no small feat, even in the best of hospitals. I am amazed at the teams that prep you for surgery, as well as those in the operating room, at least those I saw before slipping off to “La La Land“. Then there are all sorts of people in the recovery room. Finally when you get to your hospital room, there is another team of people, each with their assigned task. They go from bed to bed and from room to room. But what is missing is the patient’s very own person assigned especially to you and to no one else.

That person is called a ‘private nurse‘ I was fortunate to have one, even though insurance doesn’t cover the cost. But, I got one for free and she was the best. She was there when I woke up in the recovery room, beside my bed and holding my hand. She accompanied me to my room and remained there beside my bed for five days and nights, sleeping on a small cot in the room.

When I was able to get out of bed and take my first steps, she encouraged me every step of the way. There are a lot of needs a patient has ranging from painful to personal and she helped with them all. Whenever I needed something, she made sure that I got it. When I came home, she stayed with me to take care of my needs and encourage me through my therapy. If you are going to have surgery, it’s the only way to go.

When I thought about how blessed I was to have this lady at my side, I thought of a spiritual parallel. From the time I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, He has always been at my side, saying that I should not worry because He will never leave or forsake me. He is always there to carry my heaviest burden or to care for the least of my needs. Scripture often refers to our relationship with God as being like a marriage. The way our society has perverted marriage into a disposable item robs us of the security that concept was divinely intended to portray.

As I am sure you can guess, this ‘private nurse’ was my wife of more than forty years, my best friend, my lover, the mother of my children and next to Jesus, the one who means the most in my life. She never ceases to amaze me with who she is and what she does for me. This new experience in surgery was just one more reminder of how she is as close to me as Jesus and how blessed I am to have both always at my side. I am indeed a most blessed patient, husband and sinner saved by God’s merciful grace.

by John Grant
Used by Permission