He Caught Me By Surprise

Jan 27, 2025

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Have you ever been caught by surprise? I was actually surprised to find this unpublished writing from seven years ago so it is a great day to share it with you.

In June of 2017, I painted for three days on a mission trip, no big deal — except that I was on a ladder extending my right arm as far out as it would go. {Flint, my dear hubby, tells the ortho doctor the only thing he has ever seen me paint is my fingernails.}

My arm hurt for weeks and weeks afterward. The daughter’s August wedding preparations weren’t easy on a mom in a physical manner (or any other manner either). I am sure you moms of married daughters can relate. Thank the Lord for friends who helped me in ironing 30 large round tablecloths. My shoulder didn’t like doing the 15 or so that I managed to finish. Nor did it like the invitations addressed by my right hand. Who knew that one’s shoulder could hurt so much from writing?

Surely you have had dear people help you with preparing for a special event. The wedding was no exception. One young man {benefits of working with young people} did a lot of the work for me by helping make a backdrop for the wedding reception. Others helped with recycling decor from their wedding reception to this one. Then we have passed them along too. I’m so grateful for this church family.

After the wedding, I let that shoulder {and my entire body} rest for a few months. In October, I started exercising again…cautiously. Can you identify with re-introducing the aging body to activity? Some days were better and some worse. Finally after so many sleepless nights of shoulder pain, I went to the orthopedic doctor only to hear “you have a torn rotator cuff which could possibly get better without surgery. It will take an MRI to see greater detail, but there is no doubt you will likely be having surgery this year. Talk to your husband and pray”. {Now isn’t that our kind of doctor on the prayer part?}

There were a few people that I had asked to pray for my shoulder–my inner circle of prayer warriors — I hope you have one. I looked at my calendar to see when it would be best for a possible surgery date and accepted the diagnosis a bit tearfully. Do you ever pray yourself to sleep? One night, I prayed: Lord, if it would be your will, heal this shoulder of mine.

The day we met the doctor for the results of the MRI he says: “bad for me, good for you, no surgery needed. That rotator cuff isn’t torn. In fact, there is a little bursitis and arthritis, but no tear. It looks like any tire should when it has 52,000 miles on it.” {My shoulder, the tire, and my age of 52. Gotta love a doc who prays and has a sense of humor, too.}

Flint and I are ecstatic! No surgery, no recovery, no physical therapy. No figuring out how I will do household chores with only my left hand. I can’t say how or why, but God knows. He is our Healer! Every prayer I pray doesn’t have the answer I want. But I am getting better at remembering the prayers that DO! Thanks to all of you who knew to pray….my home team.

About that prayer life: Do you strive to grow in the area of prayer? The best way we can grow is to practice it. Pray. In person with others, by yourself, or on the phone with a friend. With a couple of friends. Build a circle of praying friends. Let’s strive not to miss an opportunity to pray. That is where the Lord does amazing things and this one really surprised me! Our God is like that. The more we talk to Him, the greater our opportunity to be caught by surprise.

In a Spirit of Hope,

Bonnie

P.S. I do have a few shoulder exercises to do to help recover my strength. I’ll take that! The update seven years later is that my shoulder is terrific. No surgery required and I have found daily Essentrics (google it) and occasional physical therapy help me to have very little pain. Praise the Lord!