{"id":47360,"date":"2005-04-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-04-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/bereaved-family-extends-grace-to-physician\/"},"modified":"2005-04-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2005-04-11T00:00:00","slug":"bereaved-family-extends-grace-to-physician","status":"publish","type":"sermon-illustrations","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/bereaved-family-extends-grace-to-physician\/","title":{"rendered":"Bereaved Family Extends Grace to Physician"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his book Unexpected Blessings<\/em>, Cameron Lee includes a story related to him by a friend, involving the death of the friend's baby sister.<\/p>\n\n

\n

During the third month of my sister's life, she became very ill with pneumonia…. My parents took her to the hospital and had her placed inside an incubator. The doctor who was in charge monitored my sister for several hours and then sent her home with a prescription…. The next morning my father was suddenly awakened by the uncomfortable realization that he had slept through the entire night without any interruptions from my sister. He jumped out of the bed and ran to check on the baby. The only thing he could remember of that horrific morning was lifting the tiny, limp body and shaking it in order to feel it move. But it laid in his arms, motionless and dead….<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

\n

The medication prescribed to my sister was too strong for her, which caused her to lose all control of her muscles…. Several of our relatives suggested that my parents sue the doctor. However, after much consideration, prayer, and advice from my grandparents, they decided not to take legal action. Rather, they received the conviction from God that they needed to forgive the doctor and express that to her in letter form. According to my mother, this was the most difficult thing for her to do, yet after obeying the Lord she felt an overwhelming sense of freedom and peace within her heart.<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

\n

Four months following the death of my sister, I became incredibly ill with pneumonia.… The doctor who had been in charge of my sister…asked my father if he would allow her to take on my case. Everyone was completely flabbergasted. He said he needed some time to think it over. As my parents went to the Lord in prayer, they were convicted that this was an ultimate test of their forgiveness. They felt an overwhelming sense of peace that God was in control and that this would eventually become a powerful testimony. They agreed to let the doctor take on my case.<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

\n

The next few days were incredibly tense and filled with many moments of uncertainty. However, by the fifth day, I had come out of intensive care and was on my way to a full recovery. On the day of my discharge, the doctor pulled my father and mother aside, and with tears running down her face, she expressed sincere gratitude for the forgiveness and grace they had extended to her.<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tax_ctp_audience":[],"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[165],"tax_ctp_format":[171],"tax_ctp_illustration_types":[411],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3466,3467,3621,3737,3935,4010,4088,4101,4106,4179,4397,4460,4482,4615,4810,5178,5283],"tax_ctp_topics":[378,382],"class_list":["post-47360","sermon-illustrations","type-sermon-illustrations","status-publish","hentry","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-baby","tax_ctp_tags-baby-dedication","tax_ctp_tags-circumstances","tax_ctp_tags-death","tax_ctp_tags-faith-feelings","tax_ctp_tags-forgiveness","tax_ctp_tags-grace","tax_ctp_tags-grief","tax_ctp_tags-grudges","tax_ctp_tags-human-forgiveness","tax_ctp_tags-love-for-enemies","tax_ctp_tags-mercy","tax_ctp_tags-mistakes","tax_ctp_tags-peace","tax_ctp_tags-resentment","tax_ctp_tags-tragedy","tax_ctp_tags-witness"],"acf":{"scripture_references":[{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null}]},"yoast_head":"\nBereaved Family Extends Grace to Physician - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/bereaved-family-extends-grace-to-physician\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bereaved Family Extends Grace to Physician - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In his book Unexpected Blessings, Cameron Lee includes a story related to him by a friend, involving the death of the friend's baby sister. 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