Julius and I are having our own countdown: the end of my fellowship training…
December 31 days plus November 30 days plus 4 remaining days of October EQUALS 65 days to go!!!!! Yahoo!!!
… and the start of my own Family Medicine and Palliative Care practice in Dumaguete City.
On October 16, 2011, the Lord answered a very specific prayer – for Julius and me to recommit ourselves together into the saving grace and mercy of Jesus.
Our stay in Metro Manila had not been as smooth as I wanted it to be; to be in training at the country’s premier hospital and training institution has its own difficulties but it cannot be compared to the hardships of just being a husband waiting for his wife to come home after a day of hospital work. You see, Julius, is the type of guy who prides himself of making ends meet all by his own efforts. He thinks of himself as a self-made man.
Trouble ensued between the two of us right after he began to experience all the symptoms of hypo/hyperthyroidism after a total thyroidectomy. No matter how I try with various visual aids, he could not understand the “timpla-timpla” that doctors do about his levothyroxine medications. All of these symptoms are what’s keeping him from going back to seaman work. He kept on worrying about finances while I exhaust myself on explaining to him evidence-based medicine.
On this particular Sunday while we were attending the CCF church service in Ortigas and Ray An Fuentes was preaching, the Lord started to work in our hearts. He revealed His kingdom agenda of a worry-free life through Matthew 6:31-33. The lesson was for us to recognize the three areas on which we worry the most: the basic necessities, our treasures, and money. It is to “seek first His Kingdom” – this should be our focus, on what He wants to do rather than what we want to do for ourselves. We now understand that we are not guaranteed a problem-free earthly life but if we want a worry-free life, we should focus on God’s agenda. By God’s grace, He will back us up when we set our hearts and pursue His kingdom and his righteousness.
The next Friday afterwards, we were able to join a D-group meeting, led by the couple (Jhun and Cristy), where we met other couples who are living testimonies of God’s faithfulness.
We are not quite there yet but we are certain of the promise that He will see us through - God’s work in progress.
