THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT – No. 5

I’ve often written about how God has guided us, provided for us and spoken to us since my diagnosis in July 2006. In the next several posts I want to document some of these incidents. I trust that these accounts will prove to be encouraging for you to read. I also anticipate that it will be a very valuable exercise for me to review all the evidence of God’s hand on us throughout this time.

No series of events is more indicative of God intervening in our circumstances than the story of how we have been able to remain living in the flat where we have lived since 1997. Soon after I was diagnosed, Nicky and I began to plan ahead based on a quite bleak prognosis. One of the first things we had to consider was where we would live. Staying where we were, on the third floor of a block of flats with no lift (elevator, for the American readers), just wasn’t an option. So we began looking around for alternatives.

After looking at several places, none of which were suitable, we started feeling a bit discouraged. One particularly unsuccessful afternoon, we decided to call it a day and take in a movie. Nicky agreed to see ‘Superman Returns with me (a real labour of love!), so we bought our tickets, grabbed some popcorn and settled into our seats. It didn’t take long for Nicky to lose interest in the movie (I can’t imagine why), so she started a conversation with God. It went something like this:

Nicky: “Come on, Lord! Please help us find the right place to stay. We’ve looked at so many, and nothing has been suitable.”
God: “But I never told you to move.”
Nicky: “Okay, but in order to stay where we are, we’d have to have a lift installed, and that’s impossible!”
God: “Mmmm…”

When we got home, Nicky told me about what God had said, and the next day we started investigating. I had always known that there was an unused lift shaft next to the stairway in our building, but no one seemed to know why the lift was never installed. The existing shaft was a huge blessing, but in our investigation we also discovered that the total cost of installation would be around R300,000 (about US$40,000)., and that before installation could begin, we would need the approval of the owners of all 30 sectional title apartments.

Nicky and I began visiting all of the owners one-by-one, asking for their signature on two separate letters, one saying simply that they were in favour of installing a lift in the complex, the other dealing with the financial matters associated with the installation. God’s favour was on us as all 30 owners gave their approval for the lift to be installed, and all but one owner agreed to contribute the necessary funds according to the financial plan we presented. In addition we later received a donation to cover the full amount outstanding due to the one owner who had declined to contribute.

In May of 2007, 10 months after “Superman Returns” and right at the point where it was becoming impossible for me to climb the stairs, we took our first ride in the new lift! God is indeed good!