God's Own Time

I often wondered what it would feel like to hear these simple words. The only thing we can do is to give you a new hip. Today I heard those words coming from a doctor's very own lips.

No, this hip replacement isn't for me it is for my son. He is 27 years old and when he was a child he had a bone disease called Legg Perthes disease of his right hip. He has been in pain since the age of four. And nothing could be done about his hip. All the doctors we saw would tell him that he was to young to have a hip replacement.

Because of the pain he has tried everything to keep from hurting. Our family doctor gave him arthritis pills. They didn't work. He has taken every thing that he could but nothing ever stopped the pain. He even thought that drinking was the answer. But after going though some tuff times he has stopped drinking.

He was to the point of say things like if I'm not dead tomorrow I'll see you. Or I'll die way before you do. The pain is so intense that he could hardly bare it. But still he worked everyday. Still he got out of bed everyday. Still he went on with life everyday like nothing was ever wrong with him. If he hurt. He never told anyone. But the more he hurt the more he limped. And he was getting so tired. He never knew why he was tired but he was. But he made himself get out of bed and go to work.

He had even told me that he didn't believe in God anymore. For every time he had prayed for his hip to stop hurting, it didn't. And every time he prayed for God to heal him, he didn't. And every time he went to a doctor for help, they wouldn't. So he told me that there wasn't any God. He couldn't believe in some one that wouldn't help those that were in pain.

I could understand his point of view but I believed that God would help us in finding a doctor that would help. It has taken twenty-three years to find someone to help him.

His leg wouldn't work one day and he couldn't go to work so he went to our family doctor for help. He had some test done and told him he had to see a specialist.

At my new job I had met a woman that had just had a hip replacement. She gave me the name of her doctor for me to give to my son. I had done that a few months ago. But he never called him. He just knew that he wouldn't help him either. Because he was too young.

Well after the doctor here told him to get hold of a specialist he again asked me what that doctors name was.I thought I would have to look for a long time to find his name but the first place I looked it was right there. On top of the paper work. It shouldn't have been there but it was. I told him the name and the doctor made an appointment for him. We saw him today.

After he looked at my sons x-rays he told him that the only thing that would help him was a hip replacement. He asked him how soon he wanted it. We were both floored. No doctor had ever said that. No specialist ever said, "Lets do it". But God answered my prayers today.

My son decided to have it done as soon as possible. Which will be next month.

The doctor told him that he would probably have to have at least two more in his lifetime. But my son told him he didn't care. The doctor told him that all of his pain might not be gone even if he has it done. My son said, “that's okay as long as it is better.” The doctor told us that he couldn't believe that he had lasted this long. Walking had to be difficult and he was so surprised to hear that my son was working in a factory with bending and lifting. He couldn't believe he could still do these things.

The doctor told him he would give him a 3 month handicap sticker so he wouldn't have to walk so far from the parking lot to work or to a store to shop. He asked him if he wanted off work. My son said no he would still keep working until the surgery. The doctor was so surprised at him still wanting to work. He also told him that if he needed off work before the surgery to just call him.

I have always told my son that God answers prayers in his own time not ours. Well our prayers were answered today. God had helped me get a new and better job that an older person could do. When the funds for my old job were eliminated I got the first job that I applied to. God granted me the resources to get more money than I had ever made in my life. Now I can help my son when he has his surgery. God let me meet a friend that could help by giving me her doctor’s name. God had my son go through some very terrible times. God gave the doctor the foresight to see my son really needed his help. God did every thing in his own time.

When we got into the car to come home I asked," Do you believe in God now?" And my son sits back in the seat and says, "Yes, there is a God." I was so happy a tear rolled down my cheek as we started back home.