The Divine Crash

The other day I got a call for a hospital visit.  No word on why just that I needed to get their quickly.  When I got to the hospital I found a woman I had never seen before.  Sure, I had spoken to this parishioner on a regular basis but this was not the same person.  Something had happened and now something was wrong.  Behind her bright eyes was emptiness.  It was sad.  I bent down and spoke to her, the only response I got was “yes” and “hi pastor.”  It was one of the hardest hospital visits I have ever done, this wonderful woman that I had grown to know over the past year was now a hurting shell of Godly woman I knew before.  But then I offered to pray.

When I offered to pray the woman’s eye grew three times the size and she sat upright an said “Pray to Jesus.”  When I said “Yes, to Jesus” she said “Okay, let’s pray” and we prayed.  It was touching and this amazingly spiritual moment with this woman who moments before couldn’t remember my name.

After we finished praying I left and on the drive home I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 2 when Paul says that he wants to know nothing but Christ.  Is this what it looks like to know nothing but Jesus?  If Jesus was literally all we knew would that be enough?  It was for her and my faith is stronger for it.

After Paul says he wants to know nothing but Christ he says it is so that our faith may be strengthened by the spirit instead of by convincing.  Is that why she was so convincing that her faith was so strong in the midst of all that had happened to her?

I envy this woman, too often I wonder about lots of stuff; bills, kids, retirement, education, work, spouse, all kinds of stuff.  She knows only Jesus.

It was an amazing, difficult, and deeply spiritual hospital visit. I pray for her recovery and for the doctors to have wisdom.

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Pastoral Life by RevBT