God's goodness inspite of Mike's heart attack

 Thursday, 11:30am

Mike went down to the basement and asked me "Did you put too much coffee on mine? I'm not feeling well."

I answered and said, "of course not. We had the same measurements."

I asked him what he is feeling. He had a hard time expressing it. He went back up stairs and started coughing and throwing up. I called 911. He explained that he thought it was food poisoning because he was throwing up.

In about 2-3 minutes time, the paramedics came to our home. They did assessment on him. He was rushed to Foothills Medical Hospital for a suspected cardiac arrest.

I accompanied him. I seated beside the driver. As we were driving to the hospital, I was reflecting on God's goodness. I was thinking and meditating on His character. He was the same God of the Old and New Testament. He was the God of Moses who divided the red sea. He was the same God who defeated Egyptians. He was the same God who healed the sick and raised people from the dead. He even resurrected from the grave and defeated death. I am contemplating and focusing on these truths. He was the same powerful God of old, He will and can still do wonders until now. I was tearing up. I'm shocked, but I'm trying to be calm.

I was praying. I am thanking God that this happened when he was at home. I am thankful that we are in Canada and ambulance were so quick. I am thankful that it was our summer break and I am available to be with him.

When we reached the hospital, he was rushed to the Cath Labs and a procedure was done to him. After few hours (honestly I wasn't able to check what time already), he was brought up to the 10th Floor in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. They informed me of what happened. They did angiogram on him and found out that he has a blockage on his artery. They tried angioplasty on him but was unsuccessful. They put him on a blood thinner medicine.

I thought that he was getting better. But then, between 5pm- 12 midnight, he was coughing and throwing up every hour. He was also experiencing fluctuating level of chest pain. It was so bad. He was so weak. I am of no help. I can't do anything but pray.

Our other church pastor visited him, stayed with us and prayed for us. He also went again the next day. The church also had a prayer chain for him. I only mentioned what happened to some people and those who knew prayed and shared the prayer requests as well.

Our first night was the longest ever, and was the worst. But after his last pain medicine at midnight, he didn't asked for pain medicine again on friday morning.

Friday

I've seen how God has changed him overnight. He was sooo weak a day before and I've seen how he is recovering and getting stronger.

That evening, they moved us to a regular room. It was his first night there without the medical equipments that were hooked on him at the ICU (BP, oxygen and ECG). So I stayed there with him again for the 2nd night.

It's God's favor that they even gave a recliner chair for me so I could sleep comfortably. That night we were able to sleep much better than the first night.

Saturday
He was so much better than Thursday. He was walking slowly at the hallway. His spirit is also much brighter than before. We are so thankful for all the nurses, hospital staffs and doctors who checked and take care of him. He is well taken care of.

We are also thankful for our families, churchmates and friends for their word of encouragements, scriptures given and prayers.

We are still at the hospital as I am writing this. Lord willing, he will be released this week.

My thoughts and reflections on what happened:

1. If bad things happen,  focus on God's character.

Focus on the truth, which is:
God is powerful and mighty. (1 Chronicles 29:11)
God is good. (Psalm 103)
God is our healer. (Jeremiah 17:14)
God is our strength. (Phil. 4:13)
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
God is the author and finisher of our faith. (Phil 1:6)
God is our provider. (Phil 4:19)
God is our good Shepherd. (Psalm 23:1)
God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
God is in control of everything. (1 Chronicles 29:11 - 12)

2. God's word is alive and will comfort us in times of need. So let's read and meditate God's word. His word is true and very helpful in times of need.

I've been reading and studying Romans. I am at chapter 8 which is a great passage.

Here are some of the verses that encouraged me:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18 NKJV

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 NKJV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:31‭-‬32 NKJV

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35‭-‬39 NKJV

3. Always show love to your spouse and family. What happened to Mike shocked me. It made me realize that we should always show our love to our spouse and family through words and actions.

4. Health is really wealth. Be intentional to what you eat. We need our bodies to do God's ministry, so it's important that we are healthy.

5. Despite all of this, find time to still be thankful.

Right now, we're still waiting here at the hospital. But we are hopeful. Our hope is not in the medicine or in the high technology that will make Mike well, but our hope is in the Lord. He is our Jehovah Rapha who heals. 

What does this day mean to me?

 Happy Easter Sunday!

Today, most people celebrated Easter. Some people I know celebrated it with egg hunting, chocolates and treats. These are good but I hope that they won't forget why are we even celebrating this at the first place.

What is the significance of Jesus resurrection to me? What does it mean to me personally?

I've been asked this question before and today in our Sunday school, we were asked the same thing.

Let me give you some of my reasons:
1. Jesus's death and resurrection showed His power. He is very powerful that he even conquered death. I can't imagine anything harder than conquering death. No one in history was able to do that except for Jesus. So if He can conquer death and sin (which I believe is the hardest thing He did), he can do so even the simplest prayer we asked Him.

If we asked for healing, He will heal us. (If He wills).
If we asked for provision. He will provide for our needs.
If we asked for answered prayers, He will answer them according to His will.

He already did the hard part, which is dying and conquering the grave. We can trust that He is very powerful to even do the things we asked if Him.

2. Jesus death and resurrection showed that we can trust His words.

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
Luke 24:5‭-‬7 NKJV

Jesus talked to his disciples about his coming death and resurrection. Everything he has said, happened. This is just an amazing proof that whatever he said in His word, He will do. I can trust the Bible, everything in it, because I know that His words are true. 

I can hope and look forward for heaven because I know someday we will be there in that beautiful place with Him, just as He said in His word.

3. Jesus death and resurrection means life!
Someday, we will all be with Him.  If we die here on earth, we will be resurrected with Him someday. His death and resurrection means eternal life with Him someday in the near future. 

It also means, I don't need to be afraid to die because I believe that I will resurrected again and live again with Him someday. 

Today in the church, we watched The Case for Christ. That movie I would definitely recommend to all. Lee Strobel, the main character of the movie, thought he could debunk the claims of Christianity. So, he started his quest in disproving the resurrection story. He interviewed a lot of people. He researched and looked for it from historical, physiological, and even medical point of view. He failed. Because even science and history proves that Jesus really died on the cross, was buried and resurrected from the grave!


The ground began to shake
The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever, He is glorified!
Forever, He is lifted high!
Forever, He is risen!
He is alive!
He is alive!