Exactly six years ago today, also on a sunny Sunday morning like today, we got terrible news from one of the doctors in the ICU. As he entered the room early that morning, I jumped up from dozing on the little cot beside our daughter's bed, anxious to hear from they had learned from her latest MRI. It wasn't good.
I was basically told that if Janie survived, she would never be the same again. She'd likely be in a wheelchair, with a feeding tube, unable to communicate, etc. He acknowledged that they couldn't predict the extent of her disability unless and until she work up, but emphatically declared that "you will not ever have the daughter you have once known" or something to that effect. Devastating--though he was clearly not trying to hurt us but to help us prepare.
And yet, even in that hardest of times, God was there. For a few hours, hope had fled, and I can honestly say it was one of the darkest times of our lives, yet the Lord provided dear friends and family at the very moment we needed them. Almost immediately after the doctor left, Russ Andrews suddenly walked in with his well-worn Bible under his arm, and he quickly started praying. Moments later, my dear sister, Jane, arrived. There's nothing like the gift of loving presence in the midst of fear and sorrow. Just having that person there infuses you with strength.
Back at home, Joe Knott suddenly showed up on our doorstep shortly after I had called my husband with the news. Richard said they knelt down together on the floor in the den and prayed...and Joe's presence there was an unimaginably beautiful gift to an incredibly broken-hearted daddy.
A little later that same morning, however, we had another doctor come in--the man I have often said I would name my child if we ever had another one!--Dr. Tucci. As I described it at the time, it was as if hope blew into the room, for Dr. Tucci shared that although he had no evidence or reason to explain this, he believed, based simply upon his years and clinical experience as a neurologist, that Janie would eventually wake up and "would one day be able to walk into his office and thank me."
Funny, nothing changed outwardly. Janie was still unconscious and completely unresponsive. She still had a fever, still was on a ventilator, still had one lung that was filling with fluid and on and on. But yet, everything had changed for us--because we remembered that we had hope.
And hope is a priceless gift. But it is a gift, that no matter our circumstances, we have already been given in Christ. He is the Hope that will never ever disappoint us. As our daughter, Mary Norris, shared, "Doctors can only give you news; they cannot give you hope." And Jesus Christ is our unfailing Hope.
That, dearest Katherine--and anyone else enduring a storm today--is another one of the lessons God taught us in the storm: your Heavenly Father always has hope for you, no matter the circumstances. And His hope will never fail and never ultimately disappoint. As Romans 5:3-5 explains it: "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
As you look to the Savior, you will always find hope.
In addition to finding unending hope in Christ, you will also discover His hope and love in the dear friends and family God has put in your life and will send to you at just the right time. They are hope incarnate! Early that dark Sunday morning six years ago, it was Russ, Jane, and Joe...but throughout our storm it was our precious brothers and sisters (what a blessing family is!) and countless friends (who are too numerous to name for fear of leaving someone out!). Our gracious God always seemed to send someone right at the moment we desperately needed a dose of hope and encouragement. Phone calls, texts, and personal visits. Carpooling, cleaning, feeding, encouraging, praying.
Never take the gift of friendship and family for granted and know that they are part of God's provision of hope and help for you in midst of the storm. Allow them to love and care for you. Thank your Heavenly Father for their presence in your life. And when all you see and feel is darkness around you, lean upon them. Trust that they are praying for you when you have no words or even desire to pray. They are praying, and God is listening. And know that Christ is shining His light of love and hope through them.
(Thank You, Lord, for the gift of friends and family! These pictures were taken a few weeks later after Janie woke up and Tessa was recovering, but they still make my heart sing! And in one of the pictures is our dear friend, JoAnna, who is now in heaven and is surely getting everything organized and making everyone feel loved and included!)
As Paul prays in Rom.15;13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. He is Hope incarnate. And He will also send His hope in the form of those who love you. You are never alone in the storm. Hope is always there.
To God be the glory.
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