Testimony

MY TESTIMONY
By: Richard N. Sison

BEING a Christian in this time and age is not easy. Technologies such as Internet, TV, mobile phones and different kinds of “need to have” cool stuffs cloud our focus on what is more important in life. We tend to work and work and work to try to catch up with the Jones and Joneses. We also tend to try to store ourselves with earthly treasures to have a better life in the future. Of course as believers in the Lord, we have more noble desires in storing up wealth in this life so that we can give more to our local church, share some of it to our favourite missions and help those who are in need, relative or non-relative. The only question is whether this is the will of the Lord in our lives or not.

I am a believer for many years now and in my own standards I would say that I am better than an average Christian and so I thought. I love the Lord and I love to support His work. I always have a soft spot in my heart with regards to missions and those who are in need. I used to join mission work when I was in university and led a lot of people to the faith. I have seen how difficult it is to be in the mission field and most workers are living in below average standard of living. I said to myself that I will work hard and smart to attain some wealth and support these missionaries and pastors. I also said in my heart that I will set aside enough funds for myself so when the Lord calls me to the mission field, I don’t have to beg for support but rather I will use the money that the Lord gave me to support myself and others instead.

After graduation, I proceeded as planned and went ahead with life of hard work and I’d been blessed by God in every way and been successful in almost every venture I put my hands into. In return, I never forget the Lord’s work and had been doing my contribution to those who are in need. As I go through several years of hard work, I began to even think of bigger things for myself such as building companies and businesses, sophisticated investments and other things that will bring me more means to help out the missions and the ministries of the Lord. Year after year, I am achieving more success than the previous years and I thank God for it. I believe that the Lord is with me. At the beginning of the year, 2008, I know that this year will be a great year for me and indeed it is but in a way that is the Lord’s and not what I have in mind.

During my busy weekend schedule on May 24th, I felt a very sharp pain in my abdomen and it was getting more frequent and worse. I was rushed to the emergency room and I was sent home after several tests and I was given a medicine. The medicine did not reduce the pain at all and on Tuesday, May 27th, I went back to the emergency and they made further test until the next day. After having a CT Scan, I was led to a separate room where I was told that I was being referred to a specialist. As I was waiting, I was not worried at all. When the surgeon arrived, he was talking about strange things which made me really worried and shocked. He scheduled me for a colonoscopy and for an immediate operation. The surgery is not the worst news, it was the diagnosis, I have a colon cancer! It was a shock of my life. I am in my mid 30s, I have a 6 year old son and expecting a baby. What happened? I can’t even think of anything. Colon cancer is the second cause of death in North America and normally it is for people above 50s. It was a death sentence to me. Before I can even react further, all other signs were beginning to show such as blood in the stool. I, all of a sudden, had it. Things seemed to be getting really fast and at that point in time I understood the urgency of the operation. The worst of evidence was further confirmed by the colonoscopy as I saw it my self how big the tumour in my right colon was. The doctor took samples of it and he scheduled an immediate operation for Monday, June 2nd. From that point, I just realized how fragile our lives are and I began to ponder how I will face my Creator. Did I do enough to warrant the words, “My good and faithful servant” and I think I know the answer well. I didn’t! Although I am as much sad for my very young son that I will leave behind and the unborn baby that I am not sure whether I can still see or not and my loving wife who has been there for me no matter what, I am now concerned more with the eternity that I am facing with. I don’t think that those few years I served the Lord through Campus Crusade for Christ and in our local church was enough. Though I led quite a number of people to the Lord and discipled a dozen souls or so were not enough nor my giving in the past years enough. I felt ashamed and I cried and cried before the Lord, begging Him for a second chance. Although I am saved but I cannot bear the thought of not serving the Lord enough and I will carry that regret for the rest of eternity. At this point, I know that there is a Living God and He still answers prayers of His people. I requested many of our fellow believers to pray for me. The operation itself had a lot of dangers and many things can go wrong and after that, I will have to battle with the cancer.

The Lord has been so good to me and a lot of brethren responded with prayers and lots of it. Throughout the surgery up until my recovery, there are so many things that had happened. I was twice almost brought back to the operating table because things were not going well as expected by the surgeon. My heart had been in constant monitor because my heat beat was so fast that they feared I may have had a heart attack. I’d been suffering from constant pain from my bloated stomach and I was having difficulty breathing. But through it all, the Lord is always there for me. For every test I went through, I just held on to His promise in Mark 11:22-24 and I kept passing the tests. The Lord also provided me with a very caring doctor and nurses all throughout my stay in the hospital. I cannot imagine how I survived the ordeal and God knows I would never want to experience that again or to any one. The pain was so severe that I was in constant groaning and in tears. It was the most difficult part of my life. As on how I survived it, it was only through the Lord’s grace.

During those solemn moments of my life, I realized how we just take for granted the gifts from God. During those times, you would give anything just to have a passing gas, or just to burp, or to eat or to sleep. You would give anything just to be with your son or your wife or loved ones. Work, money and things of this life will not matter anymore. I regretted completely when I wasted so much of my time working long hours and missed my son. As I was lying in bed crying, I felt sorry for my self and felt sorry for my son and my wife for not spending more time with them. I was thinking, what if the Lord just took my life without warning, I may not even have a chance to ponder these things to correct things even in a short period of time. I also realized that life is too short and unpredictable that we cannot delay doing the right things for we may never even have a chance.

On June 7th, Saturday, the doctor visited me again and was happy with the improvements and he advised me that I may be able to get out from the hospital by Monday if all the tests point to the right direction. He instructed me to see him in his clinic in two weeks to discuss the results of the biopsy. I asked him some questions regarding the tumour and other things but he didn’t discuss it with me. He said that we should take it one day at a time. He said that there is no result yet with the biopsy and the sample taken during colonoscopy was not informative enough to get an answer. This kind of answer should make me worry because it is more of bad news than good news, but somehow the peace of God made my heart at ease and I focused more on recovering because I wanted to go home on June 9th, a day before our 8th year wedding anniversary.

Sure enough, by God’s grace, I was released from the hospital on Monday morning and it was a big relief to be out again from the hospital. I lost 13 pounds and could hardly walk when I reached home. I could hardly eat because when I eat something, I felt bloated already and it was hard to breath. Nevertheless, I tried to eat something in small amount to keep my body strong. The pain was still there and it was tough for me even to sleep.

On Monday afternoon just after I woke up from a short nap, I received an unexpected phone call from the doctor and he told me that he already got the result of my biopsy and he told me that the tumour is completely benign and non cancerous. He said that it is called “Lipoma” and it is a very rare case. It was my own fat that grew inside my colon. He told me that I don’t have to worry anymore and I don’t need any further check-up, nor tests or any medication. He told me that I am a “free man!”

I am free indeed! I know for certain, without a doubt that God answered my prayers and the prayers of His people who pleaded with me before God. I know without a doubt that He healed me and He let me experience this life-changing miracle for His glory. I believe that He gave me another chance to correct my life. I now know that life is short, uncertain and completely unpredictable. We ought to use each day for His glory. We have to serve God while we can. I believe that I have the obligation to share my story to many people as an encouragement and as a warning. As an encouragement that our God is a prayer answering God and He honours the prayers of His people. As a warning, because it could happen to anybody and the result may not be as happy as this. Let us all serve God while we have a chance and let us not neglect the most important people in our lives for we don’t know when we will be called back in heaven. PRAISE BE TO GOD FOR HIS LOVE AND MERCY ENDURES FOREVER. HE DESERVES OUR BEST AND NOTHING LESS. Amen.