THE REPORT WE REFUSED!

THE REPORT WE REFUSED!

Bimbola and Omolade were sisters blessed with aged parents who, to the glory of God, were doing well. The girls had never really had to worry about their health.

Their mum managed diabetes with medication, and their dad was as fit as a fiddle. Both parents went for regular medical checks, and all was well.

Then suddenly, Mama Bimbo took ill.

Their father, well advanced in years, could not do much physically, so he mostly stayed at home praying for his dear wife of fifty-five years while the girls took turns in taking her to the hospital for the series of tests that were required.

Eventually, a chest X-ray was requested because of persistent coughing spells.

Molade was unavailable that day, so Bimbola took their mum. The X-ray was done, and they were asked to return the next day for the results. On her way back from work the following day, Bimbola stopped by the hospital to collect them. She waited to see the doctor. The look on his face stalled her mid-step.

“Good evening, sir. Is everything alright?” she asked quietly.

“Please sit down, madam,” he said, pointing to the chair across from him.

Without much preamble, he delivered the verdict.

“Your mum’s X-ray result does not look very good. The pneumonia has weakened her lungs, and heart failure is imminent, I’m afraid.”  He paused, allowing her a few seconds to absorb the weight of his words.

Bimbola nodded. But she remained silent. Unknown to the doctor, she had already rejected the report in her mind. She was not going to leave that hospital carrying such a conclusion. And she was definitely not taking it to her parents.

The doctor continued, advising on preventive care and the importance of administering medications promptly ans properly.

Bimbola thanked him and drove to her parents’ home. On the way, she began to pray softly:

“I will not believe this negative report. I will believe the report of the Lord. By His stripes, mummy is healed.” She repeated it over and over, occasionally praying in tongues.

When she arrived, everyone was upstairs in the living room. She placed the X-ray envelope and her handbag on the table beside her mother’s chair. Mama was tucked nicely under a heavy blanket, her frail hands clasped in her lap.

Bimbola knelt beside her and hugged her tightly.

“How was your day, Abim?” her mum asked. “Did you pick up the X-ray results? What did they find?”

Without missing a beat, Bimbola smiled.

“Oh, nothing at all, Mum. You’re good. We just need to keep you warm.”

Their dad chuckled. “Thank You, Jesus. My wife cannot go home before me,” he joked, as he often did these days — being eight years her senior.

They all laughed.

Molade soon came in from the kitchen carrying a tray of fruit and some fried yam with pepper sauce. Food was very welcome at that moment.

Within a short while, their mum regained her strength and gradually returned to her bubbly self.

Months later, Molade stopped by to visit. As they chatted, her hand drifted absently to the table beside the chair. She felt an envelope.

She picked it up. It was the X-ray result. Frowning slightly, she opened it. Her eyes scanned the report at the bottom — and she coughed. Her parents looked up sharply.

“Are you alright?” they asked

She cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m fine.” But in her heart she declared, I will never believe this report. Jehovah Rapha has healed Mum.

She quietly placed the envelope back on the table. She would “unsee” it for now — and later take it home. She said absolutely nothing to her parents.

The Power of Our Minds

Dear friends, our minds and our thoughts are powerful. These two sisters understood that. They refused to allow even a seed of fear to take root. They did not meditate on a negative medical report. They did not rehearse it. They did not give it life with their words or their thoughts.

Once we allow a thought to take root in our minds, it gains power. If we worry, we are meditating — but in the negative. And negative meditation never serves us well.

There are more than enough truths in the Word of God to keep us afloat through any storm.

We will all receive reports in this life. Medical reports. Financial reports. Situational reports. Opinions disguised as facts.

But we must decide — which report will we enthrone in our hearts?

Bimbola and Omolade guarded the gate of their minds. They refused to meditate on a negative report.

Not denial.

Not ignorance.

But deliberate alignment.

There is already a higher report written concerning us:

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5

THIS IS THE REPORT WE BELIEVE.

THIS IS THE REPORT WE REHEARSE.

THIS IS THE REPORT WE REFUSE TO EXCHANGE.

 

OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©