Facing Today
Illustration
Stories
“I wish I knew when all of this would be over,” Ben said.
“Me too.” Jill squeezed his hand from her hospital bed. “Some things we just can’t know. Remember the sermon that Pastor Tim preached last Sunday?”
“The one about the end times?” Ben rubbed his chin. “I have to admit it wasn’t the sermon I thought it would be.”
“What did you expect he would say?”
“I guess when I heard the text from Mark about Jesus talking about the end times, I expected that Pastor Tim would lay things out for us so we could know what was going to come next.” Ben shrugged. “Like a road map or a list of things in the order that they would happen.”
“Kind of like a sneak preview?”
“Exactly. Instead he just said it was coming and we couldn’t really know how it was going to unfold or when it would arrive.” Ben looked down at her. “Which I guess is like this illness of yours. I wish we knew what was going to happen next.”
“We won’t know until the biopsy comes back and they run some more tests.” Jill shrugged. “Even then we’ll only have a better idea but not a firm timetable.”
“I know. I just wish we knew more.” Ben thought for a moment. “Is that why you thought about Pastor Tim’s sermon?”
Jill shook her head. “No, I was thinking more about what he said we needed to do in the uncertainty.”
“I guess I wasn’t listening very carefully.” Ben frowned. “What did he say we have to do when we don’t know what is coming but things are chaotic and uncertain in life?”
“He reminded us to have faith.” Jill smiled at him. “I’ve thought a lot about that sermon this week.”
“We need to have faith? That doesn’t seem very comforting. I mean what help is it to tell us to keep doing what we always do even when things get uncertain and unpredictable?”
“I think that might actually be the point.” Jill tapped his hand. “What did you do when you heard about my diagnosis?”
“I went for a walk and I prayed like I have never prayed before,” Ben said. “I guess I was hoping the doctors were wrong or a miracle cure would happen.”
“I knew you went for a walk but you never told me that you were praying on that walk.”
“I was, and I’ve been praying all week every time I take the dog out. We walk and I pray.”
Jill squeezed his hand. “I appreciate that.”
“I’m afraid it hasn’t done any good.” Ben looked around the hospital room. “We’re still here.”
“Yeah, but you’re not frantic like you were that first day. You prayed and then you were able to talk to me.” She looked into his eyes. “I really need you to keep talking to me because I’m scared.”
“I’m scared too.” Ben took a deep breath. “That’s why I’ve been doing all the praying. Sometimes it’s all that I have when you’re in having a test or we’re waiting for the results. I just pray for strength and something to change.”
“I think that’s what I learned from Pastor Tim’s sermon. The fact that when we don’t know, when things are terrifying, when everything gets turned upside down, then we have to keep praying, keep living as Jesus calls us to. So that we are open to God’s grace and don’t let our fears overwhelm us.”
“Some days it doesn’t feel like prayer helps much.”
“Really?” Jill sat up a bit. “You’ve been with me every step of the way and I know given your history with hospitals and doctors that being beside me hasn’t been easy. I hope you know that having you here has helped me.”
“I’m glad,” Ben said quietly. “It doesn’t seem like I’m doing anything. I feel so helpless.”
“You’re here with me and I haven’t had to face any of this alone,” Jill said. “It may not seem like anything to you but to me it’s been everything.”
Ben wiped the tears from his face and then from hers. “We’re going to get through this, aren’t we?”
“We are.” Jill smiled at him. “No matter what the results and what happens we are because we’ve got each other, and God has been with us and will be with us the whole way.”
“Would you like to pray?” Ben asked.
Jill nodded and together they prayed for God to help them through this difficult time. As they prayed, they also thanked God for each other and for God’s continual care. When they said “Amen” they felt a sense of peace and knew that they would get through this chaotic time.
“Me too.” Jill squeezed his hand from her hospital bed. “Some things we just can’t know. Remember the sermon that Pastor Tim preached last Sunday?”
“The one about the end times?” Ben rubbed his chin. “I have to admit it wasn’t the sermon I thought it would be.”
“What did you expect he would say?”
“I guess when I heard the text from Mark about Jesus talking about the end times, I expected that Pastor Tim would lay things out for us so we could know what was going to come next.” Ben shrugged. “Like a road map or a list of things in the order that they would happen.”
“Kind of like a sneak preview?”
“Exactly. Instead he just said it was coming and we couldn’t really know how it was going to unfold or when it would arrive.” Ben looked down at her. “Which I guess is like this illness of yours. I wish we knew what was going to happen next.”
“We won’t know until the biopsy comes back and they run some more tests.” Jill shrugged. “Even then we’ll only have a better idea but not a firm timetable.”
“I know. I just wish we knew more.” Ben thought for a moment. “Is that why you thought about Pastor Tim’s sermon?”
Jill shook her head. “No, I was thinking more about what he said we needed to do in the uncertainty.”
“I guess I wasn’t listening very carefully.” Ben frowned. “What did he say we have to do when we don’t know what is coming but things are chaotic and uncertain in life?”
“He reminded us to have faith.” Jill smiled at him. “I’ve thought a lot about that sermon this week.”
“We need to have faith? That doesn’t seem very comforting. I mean what help is it to tell us to keep doing what we always do even when things get uncertain and unpredictable?”
“I think that might actually be the point.” Jill tapped his hand. “What did you do when you heard about my diagnosis?”
“I went for a walk and I prayed like I have never prayed before,” Ben said. “I guess I was hoping the doctors were wrong or a miracle cure would happen.”
“I knew you went for a walk but you never told me that you were praying on that walk.”
“I was, and I’ve been praying all week every time I take the dog out. We walk and I pray.”
Jill squeezed his hand. “I appreciate that.”
“I’m afraid it hasn’t done any good.” Ben looked around the hospital room. “We’re still here.”
“Yeah, but you’re not frantic like you were that first day. You prayed and then you were able to talk to me.” She looked into his eyes. “I really need you to keep talking to me because I’m scared.”
“I’m scared too.” Ben took a deep breath. “That’s why I’ve been doing all the praying. Sometimes it’s all that I have when you’re in having a test or we’re waiting for the results. I just pray for strength and something to change.”
“I think that’s what I learned from Pastor Tim’s sermon. The fact that when we don’t know, when things are terrifying, when everything gets turned upside down, then we have to keep praying, keep living as Jesus calls us to. So that we are open to God’s grace and don’t let our fears overwhelm us.”
“Some days it doesn’t feel like prayer helps much.”
“Really?” Jill sat up a bit. “You’ve been with me every step of the way and I know given your history with hospitals and doctors that being beside me hasn’t been easy. I hope you know that having you here has helped me.”
“I’m glad,” Ben said quietly. “It doesn’t seem like I’m doing anything. I feel so helpless.”
“You’re here with me and I haven’t had to face any of this alone,” Jill said. “It may not seem like anything to you but to me it’s been everything.”
Ben wiped the tears from his face and then from hers. “We’re going to get through this, aren’t we?”
“We are.” Jill smiled at him. “No matter what the results and what happens we are because we’ve got each other, and God has been with us and will be with us the whole way.”
“Would you like to pray?” Ben asked.
Jill nodded and together they prayed for God to help them through this difficult time. As they prayed, they also thanked God for each other and for God’s continual care. When they said “Amen” they felt a sense of peace and knew that they would get through this chaotic time.
