Pastor Danny Covey and his family had come from Ottawa to bring their son back to college. He introduced himself as the husband of one fantabulous wife, those were her words, he said, not his, and the father of three amazing children. He is also the survivor of eight heart surgeries.
Standing before the congregation that evening completed a puzzle that had started nearly fifty years earlier. While the church was singing, he thought of this truth: God makes all things beautiful in His time. Sometimes His time can take almost fifty years, but God does make things beautiful in His time.
Pastor Covey said that a lot of times in life people are holding a puzzle piece. They look at that piece and say they do not know what it is. They cannot make sense of what they are seeing. Only after time, when more pieces come together, do they step back and say there is a God who knows the master plan. He has been alive long enough, and he has asked questions long enough, that only now he is starting to get a glimpse that God sees and knows the master image. That can be challenging when a person only has that small piece and things do not make sense.
A Story That Began in 1977
He took the congregation back to 1977. That was the year his dad, Pastor George Covey, moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, and started Regina Baptist Church. His mom was pregnant with him in 1976 and gave birth during a notable dust storm. Church was going well. His mom was active in the work. He had two older brothers. Life was more or less humming along, until one day.
His mom was in the kitchen. She heard a sound, came rushing out, and saw him choking. He joked that he is a pretty pasty white fellow, but she said he was blue and then turned black. His parents rushed him to the hospital. They managed to revive him and believed at the time that he had choked on an orange peel. It was a traumatic event, and then they hoped it would not happen again.
That incident forever changed his parents’ lives and has forever changed his. The same phenomenon, falling over and stopping breathing completely, happened again and again. Those with small children, he said, should imagine a six-month-old or an eight-month-old passing out, going from doctor to doctor, and not getting answers. That was his parents’ story in the late 1970s.
Finally they found a cardiologist who put his stethoscope to the child’s chest and said their son had a trill and needed to go to SickKids Hospital immediately. His parents flew from Saskatchewan to SickKids in Ontario, knowing absolutely nobody. At eighteen months old he had his first open-heart surgery. It was an experimental surgery at the time. The doctors did not even want to talk to his parents about chances of survival, because he was given a twenty percent chance or less of living.
He did not want to ruin it for anyone, he said, but he did make it. He is still here. He did survive that surgery. He reminded the church that we serve a God who still does the miraculous. We serve a God who hears our prayers and still does the miraculous, and he is thankful for that.
He was diagnosed with supramitral stenosis and subaortic stenosis. That meant he had a very leaky mitral valve, and his aortic valve was constricted. It would shrink and not stay open. Over the course of his life he has had surgeries at eleven months old, eighteen months old, seven, eight, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and then again at forty. He has nearly died on the operating table three times. But for the grace of God, he said, he was standing there that night.
Dark Clouds and a Child’s Faith
To paint a picture of his childhood, and thinking more now about what his parents were going through, between 1985 and 1990 he had five heart surgeries in five years. Nothing tests faith like seasons of suffering. Some in the room, he said, were going through that now, and they know.
Even as a child he asked the why question many times. God, why me? Why am I going through this? Many times he laid on a hospital bed, being put to sleep, wondering if he would wake up. He would never wish that on anybody. Yet going through something like that really challenges what a person believes. Being confronted with the reality of death at such a young age forced him to internalize this truth: this was not merely what his parents thought. This was what he believed.
That is a difficult exercise, but many people will go an entire life and never face the reality of that question. What do I truly believe? He has described those seasons of surgery, poor health, and carrying an oxygen tank everywhere as dark clouds and storms. He is thankful that in his life now it is predominantly sunshine.
A New Lease on Life
In 1990 he had his third open-heart surgery, this time in Ottawa. For him this was a milestone. It was the first surgery he said he wanted. Every surgery before that had been an attempt to open up his valve, and it would constrict again. Finally, at fourteen years old, he had a mechanical valve put in his heart.
As a fourteen-year-old he thought it was really cool. He was like the bionic man. He had mechanical parts. More than that, it represented a turning point. This was his new lease on life. The dark clouds of his childhood were starting to go away. He went from the boy who has heart problems to the man who used to have problems as a kid.
He received the greatest compliment from a cardiologist during this time. He would regularly have checkups at the hospital and at SickKids. One year the doctor wrote one word on his file, and he was so happy to read it. It said, unremarkable. It meant they looked at his heart and there was nothing wrong.
From fourteen onward, life became what so many people take for granted. He learned to play sports for the first time. He was able to run for the first time. People remember the child in school who was last to be picked for a team. That was not him. He was not even last. He was not even on the field. He was the child who stayed indoors and could not come out to gym class. This surgery changed that, until his late thirties.
When the Storm Returned
The family had moved to a new town. Things were going well. Then, just a few short years later, he was running and thought he was out of breath. He attributed it to a dad bod and getting older. He told himself he would run harder. That became difficult. Through different circumstances it was revealed, when he had a CT scan, that his aortic arch had drastically enlarged. If he did not have surgery soon, that arch would rupture and he would die.
It had been a twenty-six year absence from surgery, and now he faced the prospect of surgery again. In 2017 he had his fourth open-heart surgery, his eighth heart surgery in total. Humanly speaking, he said, he should not have been standing there. His surgeon came in after the operation to tell the family what had happened. He slumped in a chair and said they almost lost him. Through events that were pieced together later, Pastor Covey learned that his aorta had ruptured just prior to surgery. That operation became a fight to save his life.
He cannot tell how many times he has cried out from a hospital bed and asked God why. Looking back now, he asks whether God heard him. God did not change his circumstances, but did He hear him? Yes, He did. He asked the church to think about their own lives. Does God hear their prayers? Yes, He does. That does not mean everything is going to change overnight. It does mean He is with His people in the dark seasons of life.
Scar Tissue
Pastor Covey was challenged to write his story just a few years ago. The seeds of his book began with a walk. He was walking with a friend who wanted to write a children’s book. The friend bounced ideas off him. After a couple of hours he asked whether Pastor Covey would ever write a book. His first thought was no. Number one, he was too young. Then he wondered whether he had anything worth saying.
Sometimes people do not get ideas. Ideas get them. That night he went home and started jotting down a few notes. Twelve pages later he realized maybe he had something to say. He stood in the pulpit because he has something to say about the God we serve, about what He does, and about the hope that only He gives. That hope has been learned through some very dark trials.
His book, Scar Tissue, is not just about surviving eight heart surgeries. It is a survival guide for anybody who has been through difficulty, adversity, or trauma and has wondered whether there is ever a way out, and whether they can ever feel whole again. The story wrestles with survivor’s guilt and with having a surviving hope in the face of adversity.
Any author will tell you that coming up with a good title is difficult. He knew he had his when he came across this fact. Because scar tissue is made up of fibres and not skin cells, it is stronger than ordinary skin. Unlike skin, it does not have hair, sweat glands, or blood vessels. Scar tissue is a healed wound. It may not look pretty, but what it has come through, when it is mended, is stronger than ordinary skin.
When you see a scar, you know there is a story. He is not shy about asking about scars anymore, because he has a few of his own. A scar is a story written on the body that says a person has been healed, and this is their story.
In the book he talks about scar tissue as a concept, an attitude, and a view that says a believer is not a victim. He is a victor. Christians are victors because of Who is with them in those trials. Things do not happen to him, he said. God brings him through things.
As he was writing, he could not help thinking about our ultimate example. Jesus overcame sin and death on the cross and became part of humanity’s survival guide. He literally bore our scars. He has scars to prove what He did, and there is a story behind that.
Four Rooms of Life
Pastor Covey asked the church to keep four rooms in the back of their minds: the living room, the waiting room, the operating room, and the recovery room. Those rooms are life. With authority he could say this. God is with us in the dark seasons of life. In those seasons where the clouds are so heavy, people do not understand, and they do not see a way out, God is with them.
The Living Room: Gratitude
The living room is where people live life. They are surrounded by family. They are laughing, playing games, watching television, and eating meals. It is time together, and it is good. A person is blissfully unaware of any trial ahead, and life is going well.
Where do you find Jesus in the living room? He is right there, rejoicing. For Pastor Covey’s family back in 1977, his dad was starting a church and doing what he believed God called him to do. His mom was very active in the work. They had moved to a new city. They were growing and working. They were in the living room of life, and things were going well.
He did not know what anyone else’s living room looked like. Maybe things were going well with a job. Maybe there was a new grandson. Maybe there was a marriage in the family. Maybe health was good and life was unremarkable. There was no tragedy unfolding.
What should a person do in the living room? He would characterize this room with one word: gratitude. When things are going well, say, God, thank You. Thank You for the blessings I have. Thank You for the peace and the calm, because things are not always this way. Sometimes, before people realize it, they can find themselves moving from the living room to the next room.
The Waiting Room: Prayer
The waiting room is where a person knows there are trials ahead. Like that puzzle piece, they do not have a clear picture of everything that is coming. They may have a hint, but they do not know. That waiting room can catch people off guard. It can be characterized by anxiety, worry, and stress, because they do not know. They see a storm brewing, like a little cloud off in the distance, and they know there is trouble coming.
In his own life this was when he started passing out, and his parents went from doctor to doctor to doctor. They did not know whether this was a one-time event or the pattern of things to come. There was a lot of uncertainty. Of all the rooms he mentioned, this can be the most challenging, because a person has a glimpse and does not know. If they have an active imagination, it can run wild.
Where is Jesus in the waiting room? He is right there in the seat next to them, holding their hand and waiting with them. When his parents were in the waiting room, they claimed a passage in the Bible. Unbeknownst to him, it was the same passage he claimed years later in 2017 when he faced surgery again.
Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
Psalm 112:6-7
What are evil tidings? Evil tidings are bad news. It is a diagnosis. It is a financial statement. It is a foreclosure. It is something hard, and a person says, God, what am I going to do? They do not have a full picture, but they know things are not good. This room is marked by uncertainty and waiting, and it can be very difficult to wait.
He did not know what anyone else’s waiting room was. It may be something financial. It may be a diagnosis. It may be a wayward grandchild or something in a marriage. How should believers respond in the waiting room of life? Number one, they slow down. The peripheral things in life do not matter. Slow down. Focus on God. Talk to God. Be real with God about concerns and challenges. Wait on His timing. Trust in His presence. Assume that there is a purpose in that unknown.
Charles Stanley once said there is nothing that can plunge a person into darkness or despair like a prolonged season of waiting, but this is where they must determine to wait on the Lord with courage. It takes courage to wait. Waiting seasons are meant for preparation. After being in several of them, Pastor Covey can tell you God is preparing. He is doing something. He is not being cruel when He withholds a calling. God is equipping His people to carry their promise to full term.
If he could characterize the waiting room with one word, it is prayer. Something is coming. Believers need to slow down the noise, turn off everything that does not matter, and focus, because things are about to change. Anyone who has been in a doctor’s office knows they wait forever. They never run on time. Eventually a name is called, and it is time to move again.
The Operating Room: Presence
This is the storm. This is crisis. This is catastrophe. It is when a person is facing their trial head on, and it is bad, really bad. It is chaos. This has been every surgery Pastor Covey has faced, for his family and for his loved ones.
Where is Jesus in the operating room of life? He is performing a work that only He can do. No one else. This room can feel unbearable. It is intense, hard, harsh, and traumatic. The weight and the pain can feel crushing. Some in the congregation might have been in that room right then. Some might have been coming out of it or heading into it.
Know that God is with you in the worst that you are facing. Know that time spent in this operating room does not last forever. The trial, the intensity, and the challenge will come to an end. Before he went into his operating room he kept little three-by-five cards. On one of them he had this verse specifically for that day.
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:10
This is a challenging room. It is an intense room. But God is with His people in the operating room, and He is in control despite appearances.
When a person is in the operating room, they will need help. If you see somebody going through a traumatic time, help them in some small way. It can be awkward because people may not know what to say or what to do. A meal, a parking pass, going along: do something small, but do something practical. Be a help and an encouragement. We need help when we are in crisis, and we can be a help to others in crisis.
If there is one word he would use to describe the operating room, it is presence. Know God is with you in the absolute worst that you can face.
The Recovery Room: Growth
Thankfully, operations come to an end, and a person is eventually wheeled from the operating room to the recovery room. While the operating room is overwhelming and intense, this is where recovery begins. After at least two of his surgeries Pastor Covey remembered coming home, gently laying down on the couch, and saying, What just happened? It is very overwhelming.
There are things a person will need to do in the recovery room in order to get better. There are things they need to learn if they are going to get better. Life does not go back to normal. That is probably the hardest question people ask him. They say, Is everything back to normal now? He says no. He is never going back there, because as a result of going through the operating room and then the recovery room, a person is taught things that will forever change them. There will be new habits, new normals, and new things they will do.
For him, he took a lot of time off work. He had to slow his life down. The hospital gave him exercises to do. He began walking, and now he walks almost every day as part of his normal life. That walking time has given him space to reflect, to spend time with God, to listen to music or to books, and to ask God what He has done in his life. It has been good. It has been challenging. It has been worth it.
If you want to heal properly, listen to your doctors. If you want to grow, listen to the Great Physician, because He has things to teach you. In no matter which room we are in, is God with us? Absolutely. There is a verse we often hear quoted, and sometimes only in part.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:12-13
As people come through their own recovery room, that might mean difficulty with a child. It might mean slowing the pace of life, focusing on health, focusing on a marriage, or rebuilding finances. Whatever it is, listen for what God is trying to teach in that time.
There is a quote Pastor Covey likes. Healing is not just about relief from stress or pain. It is about transformation. God does not just remove burdens. He reshapes His people in the process. If there is one word that describes the recovery room, it is growth. When you come through catastrophe and you are recovering, you are going to grow. Listen to God in that time.
At any given point some are in the living room. Some are in the waiting room or the operating room. Some have come through that, and now it is time for recovery.
What the Surgeries Have Taught Him
Now that he is in the recovery room of his life for the moment, what is he learning? Through eight heart surgeries he has learned this. Do not quit in the difficult seasons of life. As hard as they are, do not quit.
He has learned this. Refuse to see yourself as a victim. You are not a victim. You are somebody God is using to honour Him and bring glory to Him. He is learning this. Refuse to see your situation apart from God, because in every surgery he has faced, God has been there with him. He has held on to the belief that in every trial God has something. He has a purpose for it.
Probably the biggest lesson he has wrestled with is that a person will never get a satisfactory answer to the why me question. It is the most human, the most natural question people ask. It is probably the first question they all ask. God, why did this have to happen to me? He does not think it is the question God necessarily answers all the time. Sometimes He does. Pastor Covey has learned in his own life to ask a different question. When he asks a different question, there are all kinds of answers he can receive.
Instead of asking God why, he is learning to ask God what. What are You trying to teach me? The why question he may never know, and if he did, he may not like the answer. When he asks God what He is trying to teach him, there have been all kinds of things he has learned. He knows he is not alone in this. Quoting Psalm 22, even Jesus cried out from the cross, saying, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? It was Job’s question. Pastor Covey does not know that Job ever got an answer. He knows Job learned things in that trial.
Do not only ask why. Ask why, but also ask what. He came across a quote not long ago that he has had to think about a great deal. C. S. Lewis said we are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us. We are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be. Pastor Covey thinks there is a lot of truth in that. When you go through these rooms, assume there is a lesson to be learned. Hardship can teach you things. He is still learning that the question is not, Is God speaking? The question is, What is He saying? Because God is speaking.
Why We Suffer Well
He has asked the why question many times, and he does not know why God has allowed him to go through so many heart surgeries. He knows this. He would not have been standing there that night had God not allowed that. So the question for him becomes, Why should we suffer well? When believers learn to suffer well, a story emerges. When they see purpose, when they ask the what questions, and they see the lessons, a story emerges straight from the Bible.
In his own life this has been probably the greatest challenge. When he read this quote, it cemented in his mind that you have to share your story. You have to be open, vulnerable, and candid, and share the raw details. One day you will tell your story of how you have overcome what you are going through now, and it will become part of someone else’s survival guide. People need you to suffer well. People have needed him to suffer well. He needs to see other Christians go through trials and tribulations, because that is a blueprint for how he ought to go through them.
He was reading 2 Corinthians 1:3 and 4, and this is what the writer says.
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
That is why we suffer. He shares his story because he has been helped by others who have shared theirs. That may be you. You are going through something difficult. When you come through it, share it. Share what God is teaching you. Share what God has done. Be a testimony.
Strength Made Perfect in Weakness
He used to hear people talk about a life verse, and he did not have one. He thinks he was a late bloomer, but eventually he found a passage that has characterized his life over the years. Many in the room would know it.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
We can turn an area of pain into a platform of opportunity, and our darkest trials can become the backdrop to God’s most brilliant work. He has asked himself as he has gone through these seasons, If I assume there is a purpose, can God trust me to do His work in my life? He has thought about what kind of husband he would have been, what kind of father he would have been, and what kind of example he would have been if he had not seen God right with him in those trials. When he sees God with him, God can do His brilliant work.
He challenged the church. Can God trust you to share His message in the details of your life?
Conclusion
Remember those rooms. In the living room, be grateful. In the waiting room, preparation time is coming. Things are about to change. Be prepared. Study. Wait. Slow down. In the operating room, know God is with you. In the recovery room, get ready to grow.
A scar is not only a mark of what was wounded. It is evidence of what God has mended. Scar tissue is stronger than ordinary skin. The same can be true of a life that has been through the operating room and has learned to look for Christ in every room that follows.
Pastor Covey did not know which room anyone was in that night. He did know this. The God who heard a frightened child on a hospital bed, who heard parents flying to a city where they knew nobody, and who heard a man facing an eighth heart surgery is the same God who hears you. His grace is sufficient. His strength is made perfect in weakness. What He has done before, He can do now.
