i see that my attempts at trying to write at least once a week haven't been successful... i have had ideas of what to share, but if i don't sit down and write them right away, i'll forget and get caught up on other things that are piled up on my plate... i will definitely try to do better, starting with this post... :-)
most of you know that my dad recently went through a period of deep depression. he was hospitalized 2x in 2006 for different reasons. at first the docs thought it was low potassium, then low sodium. they ran a battery of tests while he was in the hospital, but couldn't pinpoint the SPECIFIC reason for his condition. of course, we know that although there could have been many reasons for his depression, the true reason was spiritual because the enemy was behind all his problems. like Job, my dad's battle was being waged behind the scenes -- God allowing the devil to persecute my dad in this way in order to test his faith and devotion to God. i am happy to say that my dad passed this test with flying colors...!! but, the test took more than 2 years!!
during his depression, my dad couldn't sleep. he had very little appetite. he couldn't laugh or tell jokes like before. he had zero energy. when i visited him in july 2006 during his 2nd hospitalization, i really thought that that would be the LAST time i would see him alive... since i really knew nothing much about depression, prior to and during my 2-week visit, i spent a lot of time going online to read as much as i could on depression. i read of celebrities like mike wallace of cbs' "60 minutes" and donna summer, among others, who suffer from this malady. i also looked up the medications that were prescribed for him. my dad had told me that after taking seroquel, he felt disembodied, like he was floating and he could see his body below him. of course, i looked up seroquel immediately and found out it was a psychotic drug!! needless to say, i was LIVID that a psychiatrist from the hospital had prescribed this for my dad without 1) checking to see WHAT kind of medication she was giving him (or maybe she knew and didn't care that it might not be correct for him...) and 2) without observing and talking to my dad more than the 1 time that she saw him...! i know my dad is not psychotic and i made sure the other docs who were treating my dad at that time knew that i was very angry that they had allowed this drug to be given to my dad!!
when we're young, our parents have the responsibility to ensure that we are always safe. the tables turn once our parents reach a certain age and as their adult children, i believe we have a moral and loving responsibility to care for our parents, if we are in the position to do so. i am SO thankful that, at that time, i was able to leave my job for those 2 weeks & make a special trip back to cebu to be with my parents, to support them, and help them decide on how to proceed with my dad's treatment.
i was back here in cebu for more than 2 months last year and my dad's condition had improved a little. he still wasn't 100%, but i felt he was at least at 50% and getting better.
fast forward 6 months later to june of this year... what a wonderful change to see my dad at almost 100% -- in his demeanor, his outlook, his physical appearance!!! i can't thank God enough for allowing the depression to lift and restoring my dad back to pretty much what he was before the depression...! he's back to cracking jokes & smiling alot (i discovered that when one is depressed, they really can't smile, even if they want to). he's still not getting "good sleep" at night, but that's something he can live with.
like Job, my dad never lost faith in his God. he knew that God is still in control and if He has more work for my dad to do here on earth, He will preserve his life and give him more time to serve this God Whom he has served for more than 50 years!! that's why, even with his condition in 2006 & 2007, he still continued to work on his books, especially the Isidro Annotated OLD Testament. and today, he is in the book of JOB!! he had originally set a timetable of 2009 to get to the Poetical Books, but here he is in JOB, the first of the Poetical Books, and it's just past mid-year 2008...!! God is REALLY good and we praise Him for this miracle in my dad's life!!
so, what lessons have i personally learned through all this?
One: that even with good doctors, we STILL have to be vigilant and watchful when we are given any medication. we shouldn't be afraid to ask questions about what medications we're being prescribed.
Two: that when it comes to afflictions and calamities that might come our way, there is the spiritual dimension that we must take into consideration. and if someone is suffering, we should not be quick to judge that he/she has sinned and that God is punishing him/her.
Three: that, ultimately, God is STILL in control of our lives. He allows these afflictions, problems, calamities to come into our lives to test our faith in Him. but there's a wonderful promise in Job 23:10 that we can hold onto during those trying times: "but He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (KJV).
Praise God who is able to give us the victory in ALL areas of our lives!!
most of you know that my dad recently went through a period of deep depression. he was hospitalized 2x in 2006 for different reasons. at first the docs thought it was low potassium, then low sodium. they ran a battery of tests while he was in the hospital, but couldn't pinpoint the SPECIFIC reason for his condition. of course, we know that although there could have been many reasons for his depression, the true reason was spiritual because the enemy was behind all his problems. like Job, my dad's battle was being waged behind the scenes -- God allowing the devil to persecute my dad in this way in order to test his faith and devotion to God. i am happy to say that my dad passed this test with flying colors...!! but, the test took more than 2 years!!
during his depression, my dad couldn't sleep. he had very little appetite. he couldn't laugh or tell jokes like before. he had zero energy. when i visited him in july 2006 during his 2nd hospitalization, i really thought that that would be the LAST time i would see him alive... since i really knew nothing much about depression, prior to and during my 2-week visit, i spent a lot of time going online to read as much as i could on depression. i read of celebrities like mike wallace of cbs' "60 minutes" and donna summer, among others, who suffer from this malady. i also looked up the medications that were prescribed for him. my dad had told me that after taking seroquel, he felt disembodied, like he was floating and he could see his body below him. of course, i looked up seroquel immediately and found out it was a psychotic drug!! needless to say, i was LIVID that a psychiatrist from the hospital had prescribed this for my dad without 1) checking to see WHAT kind of medication she was giving him (or maybe she knew and didn't care that it might not be correct for him...) and 2) without observing and talking to my dad more than the 1 time that she saw him...! i know my dad is not psychotic and i made sure the other docs who were treating my dad at that time knew that i was very angry that they had allowed this drug to be given to my dad!!
when we're young, our parents have the responsibility to ensure that we are always safe. the tables turn once our parents reach a certain age and as their adult children, i believe we have a moral and loving responsibility to care for our parents, if we are in the position to do so. i am SO thankful that, at that time, i was able to leave my job for those 2 weeks & make a special trip back to cebu to be with my parents, to support them, and help them decide on how to proceed with my dad's treatment.
i was back here in cebu for more than 2 months last year and my dad's condition had improved a little. he still wasn't 100%, but i felt he was at least at 50% and getting better.
fast forward 6 months later to june of this year... what a wonderful change to see my dad at almost 100% -- in his demeanor, his outlook, his physical appearance!!! i can't thank God enough for allowing the depression to lift and restoring my dad back to pretty much what he was before the depression...! he's back to cracking jokes & smiling alot (i discovered that when one is depressed, they really can't smile, even if they want to). he's still not getting "good sleep" at night, but that's something he can live with.
like Job, my dad never lost faith in his God. he knew that God is still in control and if He has more work for my dad to do here on earth, He will preserve his life and give him more time to serve this God Whom he has served for more than 50 years!! that's why, even with his condition in 2006 & 2007, he still continued to work on his books, especially the Isidro Annotated OLD Testament. and today, he is in the book of JOB!! he had originally set a timetable of 2009 to get to the Poetical Books, but here he is in JOB, the first of the Poetical Books, and it's just past mid-year 2008...!! God is REALLY good and we praise Him for this miracle in my dad's life!!
so, what lessons have i personally learned through all this?
One: that even with good doctors, we STILL have to be vigilant and watchful when we are given any medication. we shouldn't be afraid to ask questions about what medications we're being prescribed.
Two: that when it comes to afflictions and calamities that might come our way, there is the spiritual dimension that we must take into consideration. and if someone is suffering, we should not be quick to judge that he/she has sinned and that God is punishing him/her.
Three: that, ultimately, God is STILL in control of our lives. He allows these afflictions, problems, calamities to come into our lives to test our faith in Him. but there's a wonderful promise in Job 23:10 that we can hold onto during those trying times: "but He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (KJV).
Praise God who is able to give us the victory in ALL areas of our lives!!
1 comment:
God has been so faithful to our family! His love and care for us is immeasurable and that's always been evident to me. No worries about where life will lead because if we follow Him and stay faithful to Him, we can be confident knowing that we will always be on the right path, even if we don't quite know where it is or where it leads. The Lord isn't finished using Gramps yet and HOW WONDERFUL it is to look back on the past 2 years - especially with the emotional heartache we experienced as we were so far away from them and not able to help as much as we wanted to. But even when we can't be there to watch over our loved ones, the God of this universe is always present. To God be the glory, great things He has done! And Gramps' trials -- what a blessing and true testament of God's faithfulness that we can share with others and especially generations down the line about how God moves and has kept His promise to never leave us!
Tears of joy welled in my eyes as I read this post and realized how much progress Gramps has made. I'm so thankful that you and Pops are there to help - the Lord has brought you to where the need is and it has become increasingly apparent that you two are needed in Cebu. We love you and still miss you!! All my love to Gramps & Grandmama, too.
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