Devotionals
Late Thursday afternoon the phone rang. I grabbed the receiver and continued with dinner preparations. “Hello?”
“Hi, Cindee? This is Lisa. I have the reports from Sam’s last round of tests. Sorry it took so long, but we had to run a couple of them twice to be sure.”
I took a deep breath and sat down, knowing immediately that whatever Lisa had to say I didn’t want to hear. One more disease. One more diagnosis kids Sam’s age don’t get. One more name I couldn’t understand until Lisa spelled it out. Nothing insurmountable. Nothing life threatening. Just more. More to learn and teach my son. More for him to process and accept. More I didn’t expect and definitely didn’t want. More that followed an entire day of more testing at Children’s Hospital with my youngest. Again, nothing insurmountable or life threatening, just more, and I longed for someone to hear my weary mama’s heart, so I poured it out in an email to my small group.
"I'm so tired. The medical stuff is starting to suffocate me. I spent most of today at Children's with Megan. So many tests, so much more information than my head could absorb, and now I’m trying to wrap my mind around Sam's new disease and what that means. I know it's good to know -- necessary -- but I want a break from all the meds, from insurance paperwork and jumping through hoops, from trying to understand another disease, from working through the emotions of it all with each child involved. I know this shouldn't be a big deal. I know God will see me through. He always does. I trust Him, but I'm tired."
“Oh bless you, friend!” came the first response. “I weep for you. I know I can't take the pain and feel helpless. Please know that I plead with God for you and your family. I know He doesn't need my pleading, and is already acting in complete love and understanding, but I will not stop asking Him for relief for you.”
“Please don't feel guilty for what you call complaining. Sometimes what we see as complaining is what others need to see and hear. It keeps us from pride, shows our humility, our weakness, our realness.”
“I continue to pray for you and your family, sometimes with just moans and groans because I just don't know what to pray.”
Hearts of compassion. No pat answers. No simple solutions. Just friends who care standing with me in the pain. That’s the blessing of hope and the incomparable gift of love, born of compassion and freely offered, for sometimes the absolute best we can give is the willingness to listen, quietly and without judgment, good or bad, without interruption or easy answers or quick solutions, without offering our opinions or interjecting our own personal stories, simply, graciously, patiently offering time and space, unhurried and uncensored, for another’s heart to be heard.
Lord, teach me to listen with my heart, to offer no pat answers, but simply, only, always the beautiful, perfect, priceless gift of You instead. Amen.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 867 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Cindee Snider Re or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 867 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.