July 2022 Clay Jar
Sensitivity to Christ’s Grace is often directly proportional to our diminishing self. After all, the Holy Spirit fills when we are genuinely aware of the plights of our contrite and futile souls.
Lord Jesus made this point clear and profound when He said: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” （Matthew 5:3）
In as much as so many seemingly competent and striving persons rely on themselves, my mother’s defining moment of her life came very late when she confronted death in 2010. She needed a bypass surgery for her failing heart at age 83. Such a life-threatening operation began Father GOD’s decade-long Saving Grace for her, who used to believe in success through hard work and earthly intelligence. Her surgeon told her the operation’s chance of success and failure was 50/50. He advised her to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. My mother haughtily said if she survived, she would think.
She survived. But she did not surrender to our Savior Christ right away. Subsequently, Father GOD allowed my mother to experience intense moments of life and death, amounting to nearly 50 times from age 83 to 91. She was in and out of Hospital Emergencies five or more times per year, with ambulances and paramedics arriving at her Hong Kong apartment day and night.
At age 91, she finally got baptized. But her old self still found Fellowship leaders of lesser intelligence than she. Father GOD nonetheless flooded her with Heavenly love via dedicated Sunday school teachers who traveled from the remote areas in the New Territories to her Kowloon Bay church. They taught her Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount with The Holy Spirit cleansing and filling her up.
Today, my 95-year-old mother does not just sing praises daily. Father GOD is using her as a Living Testimony for her three generations of descendants. Her nine children and their spouses are overjoyed whenever she blesses them with the Lord. So are her ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren whenever we video chats her from all around the world.
We all are privileged to see the Grace of Lord Jesus in her life. Not just has she
survived numerous admissions into the Emergency department of a Christian General Hospital in Hong Kong, the alarming annual frequency and the totality of entry are undeniable evidence of miracles.
Grace, via the enduring love and services of dedicated medical teams of the Hospital, both in-house and patient follow-up, has ironed out my mother’s ego and skepticism.
Recently my mother contracted Shingles in January 2022 during the pandemic. Shingles were on the bridge of her nose, close to her eyes, but she healed quickly without pain.
From May 3 to 6, the same year, she was re-admitted into Hospital Emergencies for heart failure, which banning from visitations. However, she came out in four days full of gratitude and insisted that we must send written appreciation to the hospital.
Our heartfelt gratitude and pride go to the holistic professional care provided by the top-notch medical staff for over a decade to our mother since her heart surgery 12 years ago.
We are sure of Father GOD’s invisible hands ensuring the consistency in excellence in the hospital that has provided patient care.
It is a God-honoring Christian Hospital supreme in international standards that enhance human dignity, particularly during the Pandemic.
Our mother’s medical history included heart attack complications, heart and kidney fatigue, pneumonia, gout, and shingles. She admitted for all these attacks even in one admission in her nineties.
As well, Father GOD floods her not just with acute in-patient services but also with a wide range of services, including rehabilitation. In addition, outpatient and community care services have followed up on her with home visitations, including physiotherapy and psychiatry for seniors.
Dr. Au, who was in charge of her most recent case, took the initiative to call us with a thorough report of her condition since the hospital banned visitation during the Pandemic. He also walked that extra mile to liaison with the out-patient doctor who was pre-scheduled to meet with our mother, so medication adjustment was possible.
During our mother’s 3-day stay, the night nurse was extremely loving in her soothing explanation to a lone elderly patient. Our mother was highly touched knowing Lord Jesus had surrounded her with angels despite the overcasting clouds of the Pandemic. We were also connected by sensing Christ’s Peace in our mother during her stay in the hospital.
Joyous medical professionals can always inspire faith in fast recovery because we believe in the Eternal GOD OF HOPE.
Today, our mother is mentally and physically assessed as eighty. Yet, she is alert and happy. For years, home visits by physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and community nurses have been thorough and personable.
Furthermore, my mother’s personality has changed, for the better, too. She is becoming much more patient with people who are slower in thoughts and actions. Tolerance and kindness increased remarkably, and one of her maids from Indonesia converted to Christianity. She is developing many hobbies. For example, reading Christian booklets, writing prayer requests, and doing facials herself. She is working out at home persistently. She is drawing, watching TV news on Budget reports, watching heartwarming family tv dramas, teaching her maids to knit and shop, and fun-seeking, treasure-hunting stuffed dolls. She celebrates every descendant’s birthday by buying and sharing a cake with her maid.
Our GOD is merciful and purposeful. He creates, sustains, reveals, and redeems for beautiful reasons beyond our comprehension.
Father God’s healing is holistic — body, mind, and spirit in my mother’s case.
Hallelujah! Glory to God in the Highest.