After the Heart Surgery

I know that some of you who have read the posts A Prayer for the Heart are wondering about the aftermath of our son Johannes’ heart surgery. Well, as far as his heart goes, he’s done really fine. Everything is healing rapidly, and his chest scar is looking good also (better than before actually). We have also been able to cut down on most medication since he feels little or no pain, concerning that part of his body, at least.

But… something else has happened. Johannes received a problem with his lower left leg. The days after surgery we remember that he complained about a tinging feeling in his left foot, that actually had swollen some too. Everyone at the hospital thought it was just a small thing in passing, caused by the fact that he had laid still for so long. But he had troubles standing up and walking about, and that worried us. Still we were reached by a constant flow of comforting words that this would soon be over - whatever it was.

The thing was, we wanted to know. We just felt that we couldn’t leave anything to chance. Especially when we saw that his leg wasn’t getting any better, but in fact worse. So for a few weeks now we have let Johannes go through another series a hospital visits here in Stockholm, doing all kinds of tests, including an MRT (in Swedish: magnetröntgen). What the doctors suspect has happened (but they’re still not positively sure) is that Johannes’ left leg was somehow exposed to some kind of pressure during his surgery, resulting in nerve damaged. They think it’s something called peroneuspares, a “drop foot” state when you can’t flex the foot backwards.

We had never heard about this so we got acquainted with it on the Internet. Among other things, it stated that although this condition usually is curable, it can take a long time. In some cases people have lived with “drop foot” for the remainder of their lives. This didn’t exactly add to our hopes.

On the other hand, I had a feeling that this was yet another hurtle for Johannes (and us together) to jump over, and that he would heal rapidly. The hardest part, however, has been helping Johannes to believe this also. Throughout this whole ordeal I admire him for his strength in upholding his faith, but I can’t lie and say he’s happy about this last development. Not seldom has he wondered why he had to go through yet another trail; wasn’t it enough to have a heart surgery? Now he’s often in discomfort or pain, and has great trouble walking.

But overall he’s doing his best. I hope we are too. In the end that’s all you can do, and then leave the rest to God. We have given him a blessing, in which we all felt the love of God, certain that He is there, still guiding Johannes by the hand. We also keep praying for his rapid recovery, and grateful to others we know are doing the same.

But although faith is the answer, I think sometimes people misunderstand the principle. It’s not merely believing, and then sitting back, waiting for a miracle. Faith is also a force which motivates us into action. Like now, for example, with Johannes. We have taken him to a physical therapist who has given him some exercises he must do every day. Here faith has to be transformed into a positive attitude; simply put, he has to know that if he works hard at overcoming his ailment, believing it can work - then it will work. I’ve live long enough to know that this saying is true: God helps those who help themselves.

Although Johannes is not filled with these positive thoughts all the time (but who would be), he is working really hard now at his recovery. And whenever his own faith is lacking, his parents will pitch in an extra dose for him. That’s what we have agreed upon. And he’s happy about that. So… however we get there - we will get there.

And you know what? It’s working.

A photo from last week, taken with my mobile camera, showing a happy Johannes. He’s smiling because he finally was let out of the MRT machine. For 45 minutes he had to lay dead still, which up until that day had been impossible because of his discomforted leg. It’s a small miracle… but those count as well.

Why a Prophet? (2): The Story of the Nutty Prophet

In reference to Why a Prophet? (1), how can one then, in actual fact, know that a prophet is a true prophet? Let me give you a somewhat different approach:

About six years ago a man came for regular visits to our local congregation. He looked just like a prophet, or rather, the way you would expect an ancient prophet to look like: an older man (although he wasn’t that old) with a meager outfit and a really long beard. He had an inward bound character and appeared, to put it mildly, to be missing some screws and bolts.

Then without warning, during a Sunday worship service, he stands up and shouts: “I am a prophet! I have come to warn you! The Holy Spirit has told me that half of this congregation will die of cancer within six months!” Ooops. The Ushers tried to gently lead him out, but had a bit of trouble as he was starting to get forceful, his voice raising a pitch as he kept chanting the same words over and over.

Up until then I had remained in my seat with my family, watching my 4-year-old son’s goggle-eyes. Who ever said Church wasn’t exciting? Wanting to help, however, I walked out into the hallway, where I began addressing the man calmly, asking him questions about what he was doing, and why. To my surprise he settled down, completely. Not bad, I thought. But the trick was on me. SMACK!!! Before I could blink he had placed a swift, right hook across my jaw. It was a perfect hit. In the same motion he begun swinging his arms like helicopter blades as he went after me again. Instinctively, I ducked under his attack and threw myself at him, grabbing him above the waist in a bear hug, pushing him out the main door, and falling on top of him on the snow covered grass.

Still dizzy from the blow, I tried to orient myself. Underneath me was a nutty prophet, squiggling like a worm, screaming for his release. As calmly as my shaking adrenaline aloud me, I said: “I’ll let you go if you promise to respect our right to worship here as we please - without any threats or outbursts from you!”

But I was talking to a brick wall. He didn’t want to listen. “Let me go!” he shouted again. “You heard my terms,” I said. “I will let you go once I hear your promise.” This word struggle was repeated a third time until he finally subdued. “Okay, okay,” he said with sharp disappointment, “just let me go!” I then released him from my grip, and we both got up from the snow. Never taking my eyes away from him, he brushed himself off and started to walk away. I never saw him again.

Use Common Sense
The first and most obvious point of this story is to use your common sense when considering if someone is speaking in behalf of God - or not. Of course, in the above, extreme case even a fool would have noticed that the “prophet” was way out of tune. By applying the process of elimination this fellow immediately drops out of the race for candidates running for the office of prophet. But in many other cases this is how it is as well, more or less; just by using your common sense, you can select which “prophet” to believe in, and which not to. All you have to do is look at what they do and say, and wooops, there goes a majority of them.

Look at the Fruits
I guess another way of describing it is looking at their fruits. In fact, this is Jesus’ own remedy against false prophets: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt 7:20). Another day I would like to expand on this, but today it will be enough to quote the prophet Moroni who wrote that “everything that inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God”; if not, it is “of the devil” (Moroni 7:13f). This key is crucial, and it’s really this simple: Either a “prophet” dedicates his life to help bring you closer to Christ, or he has another self-serving agenda in mind. With a little help from your heart, you can tell which it is.

Listen to the Spirit
The next step is praying to have the Holy Spirit guide you, especially if you’re still unsure. The Spirit will confirm the truth of all things (Moroni 10:5), I testify of it. He is not just some mystical force, but a true member of the Godhead. He is real. He is sent to us by a loving heavenly Father to not only serve as a Comforter, but also to teach us all things (John 14:26). Wouldn’t you think that such a crucial question, like knowing if God speaks today through a living prophet, would be answered by God himself? Who else would you turn to - I mean, if you really wanted to know? How correct was not Paul, the apostle, when he wrote that we can only know about God through the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:11). And the good thing about the Spirit: He will come… as long as we ask.

Test the Prophesies
Once you have gone through these simple, yet faith-demanding steps, there is still a last one. After observing, pondering, praying, and finally receiving a witness from the Spirit, then follow the evidences, or signs, if you will. But in reality, the signs will only verify to your mind what your heart already knows is true, thus securing you faith a second time. So what are the signs then? God tells Moses: “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken” (Deut 18:22). It’s a simple enough test. It actually allows the process of elimination to cast its verdict a second time, seeing that so many individuals and churches have mistakenly prophesied this or that, as our local visitor did. (Note: There was never any cancer growth, only the growth of the congregation.) Testing the prophesies is like coming around full circle:

If we start by using a little common sense, and adding a dose of faith, in the end everything will makes sense.

I cannot tell you what to do, but can invite you: Listen to the words of the prophet. Follow the words. Test them and see for yourself! Let them bless your life, as they have blessed mine. There is nothing to loose… but everything to gain.

Your friend,
Brother Louis

Help Thou My Unbelief

Last week I taught a few Institute of Religion classes at Bolliaden, a Young Adult conference in the Church. The theme of the conference was Walking on the Straight Path. The students brought a good spirit and the participation level was high. Like I often say, I feel privileged to teach in such settings, especially since I feel as though I have been taught just as much - if not more - as my students.

Our discussion came to focus a lot on faith, as being the opposite of fear. A few of the many scriptural references were found in the gospel of Mark. One of the most well known is found in 5:36:

“Be not afraid, only believe.”

What power a sentence like this has. Can you even begin to understand what miracles and giant leaps you can experience in your life if you just put away the fear that keeps you bound, and put all your faith in Christ instead. Turning a few pages in Mark we find in 9:23 another great truth that Jesus spoke:

“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

These words were spoken to a desperate man who had carried his son to Jesus, in hope that He would help remove the son’s “dumb [evil] spirit”. Upon hearing Jesus’ reassuring words, the father exclaimed: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (9:24). Prior to my lesson I had reflected quite a bit on these words. I can understand why the father would say “Lord, I believe”, but why does he add “help thou my unbelief”? Doesn’t it seem like a contradiction?

But then one of the students from Danmark made a comment that bordered on some of my personal thoughts, and I was touched by what he said. He explained that many people came to Jesus to be healed. In fact, at times the rumor of Jesus’ miracles had spread so much that people came from far and wide just to take part in some sign or other. Did everyone that came to Jesus have witness of Him as Lord and Saviour of the world? No. Many of them didn’t even know who he was, just that he was some sort of miracle man, or magician, perhaps. This father may well have fitted into that category of persons, desperate for some help, like so many others.

The student went on to say that after the man had said to Jesus that he believed, there was probably an exchange of glances, a moment where Jesus eyes might have asked the man: “Yes, you may believe I can do this, but… do you really believe in me?” A chord may have been hit in the father, for then he cried out to Jesus to “help his unbelief”.

Naturally, we don’t know all the details in their encounter, but I think both I and the students felt the spiritual meaning of Jesus’ words to this father. We came to realize that many of us are like this poor man; the natural man in us will not turn as often as he should to God, with exception of those moments when he stands in some desperate need, and need immediate help. This saddens me. Jesus wants to be - and needs to be - a part of our everyday life, not just on occasions “suitable” for us. Do we believe in him or do we really believe in him? If not the latter, then we must join in the father’s words:

“Help though my unbelief.”