“Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’ But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’" Genesis 32:26

My mom had surgery this morning. It was not a major or serious procedure, but it did require her to be under anesthesia for over an hour and will require several weeks of recovery. While I have known for a while that she had this planned, the reality and emotion of it still somehow crept up on me.

My mom, sister, daughter and me.

I live 2000 miles away from my parents – they are in Florida and I’m in Colorado. Most of the time, with cell phones and email, that distance doesn’t feel so big. Actually, I’m probably closer to my mom now that I live so far away thanks to all the conveniences of modern technology. Even so, with all that life has going on I hadn’t talked to her in a few weeks. Last Saturday morning, we were able to talk for a good, long time. She sweetly shared her experiences leading up to this procedure – even the sometimes irritating complications and challenges of pre-op doctor visits. She told me she used something I taught her when she felt like she was under attack. After a series of delays and paperwork mishaps, a nurse of all people said to her, “maybe God is trying to tell you not to do this.” She boldly responded, “no, as my daughter would say, this is Satan trying to attack and I’m not going to let him.” I was glad she couldn’t see me when she told me this because the tears were streaming. She then relayed how she felt at complete peace with everything. God is so faithful. This is something I have prayed many times to hear.

Two nights ago, I could not sleep. I tossed and turned all night. At some point, I found myself thinking about the story of Jacob wrestling with God through the night. I gave up at 4:30 and got out of bed. I picked up my Bible and began reading. I began praying about my mom and the surgery. As I did, I began to seek out Scriptures that I could share with her to help give her comfort. I found several and put them into a document, adding a few of my own thoughts after each - notes to her. I sent it off to her and asked her to take it with her – praying God’s words are both powerful and comforting. What I didn’t realize was that it would be powerful and comforting for me, as well as my mom. What a blessing. So, this morning when I woke at 5 a.m. thinking about her being in the middle of surgery, I opened up the document and prayed those Scriptures aloud as I asked God to be with my mom during her procedure. And He was. She did great and is on her way to her house with my dad, to begin the road to recovery. I’m thankful and grateful.

Like Jacob’s wrestling match where there was blessing in the end, I believe this experience has been an intricately woven tapestry of blessing in the lives of my mom and me.