Zdenka Kopeckova, a sixty-six year old, continually complained of severe abdominal pain following an operation at the hospital in her home town of Ivancice, Czech Republic. For five months she has suffered and expressed her physical and emotional pain by saying things like, “I said that nobody helps me and I cannot live like this till the end of my life. I'll get pills, have a glass of an alcohol and hang myself.” This last week they finally removed an instrument that was left inside her during the surgery. This particular surgical tool is about a foot-long and is in the shape of a kitchen spatula. The hospital staff at first told her it was normal and prescribed pain killers. However, she tried her best to persuade the doctors to give her an x-ray, but they refused stating it would expose her to needless radiation. In frustration she told the surgeon, “If I had no pain I would not be complaining. I'm not a hypochondriac.” After the instrument was discovered the medical staff noticed that the instrument was missing off the final inventory list, but the individual responsible failed to report the absent tool.
My heart goes out to this poor woman; having to suffer great pain while those responsible didn’t seem to care at all. Most of us have never had a foot long spatula left inside us, but we can relate to feeling alone and that no one cares whether we live or die. It may never be true, but we still feel like it never the less. Of course we know that Jesus heart is touched by what we go through in life, and that He will lift us up by His power. Today’s sermon will touch on what touches the heart of Jesus. He is very aware of our life and the obstacles we encounter. To know this is a comfort in itself, but to realize He cares and will do something to help us is like having a spatula removed from our belly after five weeks.