Longsuffering does not contradict commitments EL

Wednesday’s Word

​ When Faith Meets Suffering-Part 6
Every step of this journey of longsuffering, you are with me; you have never left me, nor will you. You have never lied to me, nor will You. You have always loved me and You will never stop. Though people fail us, leave us, You never will.
Thanks for joining us for When Faith Meets Suffering, Part 6. Again we want to emphasize that we realize Social Media is all about the “happy” side of life, and this may seem like a real bummer, but the author wants to share from the side of pain, because pain is a part of real life, but also, she is claiming God’s victory in this season of suffering and will be just as transparent about the victory as she has been about the season of suffering. Let’s get back to where we left off.
Father’s Day was tomorrow. The thought of it punctured her heart more and yet, it was immediately filled with hope. Maybe when he’s completely alone on this day, he will hurt and God can reach him, she thought. Let’s face it, oftentimes we only listen when we are in pain and in desperate need of a solution. Suddenly we remember our God and look to Him for help.
It wasn’t more than two hours later that that thought was banished from her mind when she received a text from him: “I thought you should know that my sister called and said they had to call 911 for my dad and they’re at the hospital. He may have to have surgery.”
She picked up the phone immediately, putting their issues to the side. He explained as best he could what was going on with his dad and ended with the confirmation of surgery. “Would you like me to be there?”
“If you want to.”
“Please just tell me if you want me there or not.”
“That would be nice but…”
“I’ll get ready to leave and see you down there.”
She actually beat him down there and hugged and kissed two of her sisters-in-law that were there and her brother-in-law. They explained dad was being prepped to have his gallbladder removed and that they would come out and let us know when that would be; we would be able to see him before he went in.
About 35 minutes later, her husband walked in. The family was so distraught over dad that they didn’t really connect that they had come separately. She wasn’t about to inform them that they were separated; that was his news to impart.
Within a few minutes of her husband’s arrival, they let them all come back to the pre-op station. Dad looked great and everyone felt better knowing he was on board to have the surgery, a little nervous but more brave than nervous.
As they made their way back to the waiting room, she looked at her husband, saddened by what she saw, the man who would have not allowed that surgery to take place without praying for him and over him was gone, hidden behind so much disillusionment and guilt. “Why didn’t you pray for him?”
His answer was pathetically painful: “I don’t know.”
They all made their way back to the waiting room and began the process of wondering and waiting. The time was filled with their family humor, which had finally grown on her and there were moments that the laughter was so loud they thought someone would surely come out and ask them to be quiet or leave.
Minutes turned into hours and as the projected amount of time came and went, and more time came without any doctor coming out to let them know things had gone well, the laughter subsided and everyone began to get lost in their thoughts. Every now and then, someone would say, “What’s taking so long?”
Three hours later, the doctor came out and there was like a huge exhale as she explained he had come thru very well and that they had gone in just in time as the back wall of his gallbladder had gone necrotic, meaning it had died. He could have gone septic and we could have lost him.
As the news settled, and family members decided who was staying the night with him, she announced she would go ahead and go. Her husband just sat there. She asked if he could walk her to her car, disappointed that she even had to ask. She tried to exercise empathy, knowing he was feeling things he just couldn’t express, the fear of losing another parent too great for him.
As they got to her car, she let him know she’d be there tomorrow to visit dad and to treat him to lunch for Father’s Day. She hugged him good-bye, and as she drove away, she couldn’t help but notice how lost he looked, depression seen all over his posture, and that look in his eyes, that same look he had had when he was unemployed for two-plus years. And the only way to describe it was empty…depressed…lost.
She knew she had done the right thing by being a supportive wife despite being a separated wife; that this period of longsuffering was not an out for her commitment to support him during such a time as this.
Join us next week for more of this season of suffering with the knowledge that a victory is coming.
Love,
Kim-Evinda