Internet Cafe Chat

Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

This week’s question gets its inspiration from the verse in Romans 8.What is one thing that happened in your life that initially may have been a bad or painful situation that you saw God

work for good?
Please give details...

I love this verse. It continually reminds me that no matter what occurs in my life, God will eventually use this for HIS good!!

I have many things in my life that I could recall for this chat, but this is the first one that came to my mind:

Those of you who know me are already aware that my own father passed away when I was 8 years old from polycystic kidney disease. I don't have many memories of him--he was in and out of the hospital for most of this time.

This is a hereditary disease, and my brother was born with this also. He had approximately 3/4 of his left kidney removed when he was 2 years old.

When I lost my father, I was in pain. I didn't understand how ill he was. I was afraid of losing my mother also.

Four years after my father's death, my mother remarried--a wonderful man who had lost his wife--and I "acquired" a new sister and a new brother! This was a very exciting time, and we worked together and became a "new" family.

As the years progressed, my brother's kidney disease also progressed, and his condition deteriorated to the point where he was going to have to start dialysis and eventually a kidney transplant.

I volunteered to be tested as a donor. In fact, I was hoping to be his donor. I wanted to do this for him. Unfortunately, I was not a match at all, not even one of the 8 criteria used for matching.

"How could this be", I asked myself. We have the same mother and father--surely I must match at least some of the criteria.

But, hope was not lost. My sister, who was actually my step-sister, no blood relation at all, matched 7 of the 8 matching criteria. So, she donated one of her kidneys for my brother.

The memories of their surgeries is still very fresh in my mind--my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law and I waiting at the hospital as their surgeries progressed. There were reports from both operating rooms as to the status of both my sister and brother.

And then came the final report from my brother's operating room--my brother's non-working kidney had been replaced with my sister's, and this kidney started functioning immediately!!

We were all so happy and relieved!!

My brother still has to take anti-rejection drugs, but these have been reduced over time, and he is in good health. My sister, however, was diagnosed with cancer the following year and has since gone to live with Jesus. Her death has been very difficult for my brother to understand--how she gave a portion of her life for him only for her to be taken from us.

At the time all of this was happening--my father's death, my brother's health condition and subsequent deterioration--I was not close to God, and I felt it was all just coincidence.

As I look back on these events in my life, I realize that God had His hand in this from the beginning--my father's death, my mother's remarriage to a man who had lost his wife and mother to his children who had a daughter that could give my brother new life when I could not--God bringing us all together for His good purpose.

For more inspiring stories as to how God is working in others' lives, please visit Internet Cafe. You'll be blessed that you did!