Surgery

I did not pass the kidney stone, so Monday morning I had surgery to remove it. The doctor blasted the stone with a laser, and I spent the afternoon passing fragments. After surgery he told my wife that he doubted I would have been able to pass the stone due to its size so it was probably good that we went ahead with the procedure.

I still have some discomfort due to a stent they insert following this procedure. Next week I go back to have the stent removed which I understand is not always a pleasant experience. All because of a piece of sand.

If there is a spiritual lesson in this it is that the small things in life can sometimes create the largest problems for us. In ministry sometimes we are tempted to overlook the smaller problems while we focus on what we believe to be the bigger issues. However, sometimes those smaller problems hang around and become larger when they are ignored. Suddenly, we are confronted with a big problem and wonder where that came from. We find that the small problem we had been ignoring is now a much larger issue that is not so easily resolved. Don't shy away from the small issues that confront your ministry. Find ways to resolve them while they are still small. You'll find that it much easier to do it that way, and you'll be able to return to your normal life and ministry much sooner.