Getting off of the ground and looking at my hand I knew something was wrong, but it wasn’t painful. Seconds earlier I was playing soccer with a squad-mate and we bumped into each other and I was knocked over, and with an awkward landing I tried to catch myself.
The way I landed, the bone that connects my wrist to my thumb was now pushed upwards, and the end that is normally connected to my thumb is now closer to my index finger. I spent a moment trying to move it back into place; however I knew it was going to take a doctor.
I knew it was a God thing when pain never kicked in when I walked back to the house we are staying at this month. A different squad-mate is a paramedic so he took care of me and wrapped it up. It was about 3:30pm when I fell, and then another hour and a half went by before I actually got to the hospital. Another hour and a half passed until they took me into see a doctor (the only one who spoke English).
At this point, it’s almost been 3 hours and this constant discomfort was setting in. The way I describe the pain was the pressure point being pushed in, so it wasn’t painful but it’s nothing I want to experience again. The doctor then sent me to get the first set of X-rays.
By the time the X-rays were finished it was about 7:15. When I returned to the doctor that spoke English, he informed me that I was going to be taken to a room and a surgeon was going to come in and look at it. Immediately, my heart sank. Surgeon means surgery right? And surgery means at least 6 weeks of rehabilitation and a big debt I would owe the hospital.
At this point I’m taken to a room and asked to lie on a table and spread my arm out with my hand in perfect view. Two surgeons look at the X-rays taken moments before and they begin discussing what to do. Then one turns and walks out of the room and the other goes to the cabinet with the shots inside and proceeds to pull out several different ones. I was so nervous but I knew what had to be done.
The surgeon then grabs me by the sore thumb and starts to poke it with needles to numb what is to come. It hurt. I started to move my entire body including my hand but he ever so gently grabbed my arm and told me not to move. He then proceeds to poke a few more times before moving the bone that once was out of place back into where it belongs.
It was definitely a strange feeling, because my hand was back! I had rotation and the ability to move it! Still, there was soreness and swelling to follow but the point is that what once was “broken was made new”.
I love this part of the story because that’s how we are without Christ. We can still function to an extent and we may even be able to get by but there is a lot of pain that lingers. People notice a difference when we aren’t walking in who He has called us to be. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of my many favorite bible verses and it says “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has past away and the new has come”
When I went back up to the X-ray room for a second time, everything went more smoothly than before. They gave me the thumbs up and I gave them what I could of a thumb being up. The doctor then gave me a couple of things and told me I was free to go. No charge.
Apparently it’s a thing here where if you don’t spend too much time there you don’t have to pay anything! I got X-rays, multiple shots, and the visit to the hospital free of charge. Another BIG God moment right there!
The last thing I want to share is that God knew exactly where I was going to be and to use it for His purpose. The days following the fall I was a little disappointed because our ministry is soccer and ping pong and doing things on the computer. I caught myself telling my teammates that it was more of an inconvenience than anything.
God quickly humbled me and revealed that I was where I was because he wanted me to actually open my mouth and share His good news with those around me. It shouldn’t be about playing the game if a relationship isn’t the main focus. The way our relationship with the Father is the same. We don’t need to play games or in any way make it about us, but making it all about Him. Seeking Him and making Him known even in the smallest of moments. That is where we find intimacy with the creator and just feel His presence and love.
A big thank you to everyone who prayed and has been praying for this injury. What the devil meant for evil God meant for good. Im so thankful for a God who shows up in the big moments and the little ones.
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