Call me blessed, or crazy, but I believe the above statement with all my heart. Now that Thanksgiving is over (which in reality it shouldn't be) I am getting ready for the weeks demands. I got my house cleaned, I bought food for the week for the entire family, and now I rest until day break for that is when I return to work. But I know someone who isn't getting ready for the weeks demands because she is lying in a hospital bed with half her brain dead. She got a brain aneurysm a few days before Thanksgiving, and now she lies and waits to see what the rest of her life is going to be like. So the saying says, "life goes on." No matter what happens to my friend, my life will go on, and hers too, for whether she dies or not, she will live eternally with our Savior Jesus Christ. But through this experience, I got to witness something wonderful. Though it wasn't a miracle, (though we are still praying for one and would gladly accept one on her behalf) I got to witness truth in doing.
The lady lying in the hospital is part of my small group from church. I got to interact with her only a handful of times, and in those handful of times, learned a great deal from her. She is a follower of Christ. But when I found out the news of what happened to her, it wasn't just something I read via e-mail and then expected to pray on my own time-although that is how it started. Our group meets on Monday nights, and that Monday night after her incident was our Thanksgiving potluck. Our group leaders assured us that we should still have the potluck because it would be the best thing to do right now, as our friend would want that from us. But as her prognosis was unsure the next couple of days, it was suggested that we go to the hospital on Thanksgiving to support her family in prayer. At first, I wasn't sure what to expect, but gladly went.
The waiting room was already full when we arrived, and when our friends sister saw us, she immediately began to cry. Everyone began to hug one another. And as we waited for the others to arrive we did our best to comfort her family who obviously was distressed about the situation. We found out that her condition was worse than we thought; the Dr. said she should have died when the aneurysm hit. So with tear filled eyes, and with so much telling us to be uncertain, to give up hope, we all gathered in a circle, held hands and prayed for a miracle; we prayed for one because we refused to believe in the uncertainty and to believe in the certainty of Him who gives us the hope. We didn't bow our heads in defeat, we bowed our heads in victory because we know that God will do His will for her and for all who love Him. We said our Amens, and then hung around for awhile. We offered the family our services- finances, baby-sitting, food, and whatever else they needed.
Maybe you think I am boasting about this little thing we did on Thanksgiving, and you may be right. Maybe its because it isn't everyday where I see the face of Jesus comfort those in need.(Matt 25) It isn't everyday I witness what I witnessed on that day-I saw a group of believers DO the truth. I saw compassion, concern, and certainty. I saw faith, love and hope- and to me my friend, that is something to boast about when all you are used to is talk, talk, talk about truth and what Christians should do about our suffering world. Sure our time together on that Thanksgiving day didn't make a difference to a person starving in Africa, and maybe it didn't make a difference to the other person just a few floors above us, but it made a difference to my friends family lives, and I know they saw Jesus in my small group. And it made a difference in me. You know you are in a good place when you start seeing the DO in truth.
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