Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
I’ve been thinking a lot this past week about being “patient in affliction”. See, my brother had a heart attack and was admitted to the hospital last Thursday. He needed to have a triple bypass – but they couldn’t do it until Tuesday. Those days of waiting for his surgery were a true test of our patience. Every night my sister and I would go to bed praying that God would help our brother through the night. The next morning we’d let out a sigh of relief when we would turn the corner and see him in his bed, doing ok.
The even longer wait was when he was in surgery. In the waiting room there was a phone. The nurse told us they would call that phone with updates. My sister and I talked on and off but I spent more time looking at the phone waiting for it to ring so we could know he was doing ok. Every time it rang, one of us would jump up to answer – and every call was to tell us he was doing ok. (Praise God!)
My sister and I were worried – a triple bypass, even at 47 years old is not something to think about lightly. We prayed, we shared memories, we read or watched tv to keep our minds off of what was happening. I knew my brother was in God’s hands but it certainly helped to have that ongoing conversation with God.
My brother came out of surgery ok. Now we have to focus on the next steps – the long process of healing.
A lot of good has come out of this week. A lot of laughter as my brother, sister, and I sat around talking, reminiscing, and reconnecting. I’ve been focusing on what’s really important to me: my family.
I’ve prayed more than I have in a while. It’s been ongoing conversations with God more than moments of prayer.
Reflecting on the bible passage – I’ve done my best to be patient. I’ve worked to find and live in the moments of joy we’ve had this week. And my faith in God hasn’t been in doubt. I know God has everything under control and I’ve let go of my pride so I don’t get in the way of God working on us.
Looking back, I could remember this week as stressful and exhausting. I’m going to focus instead of the bible verse from Romans and thank God for the opportunity to apply that to a stressful point in my life. God is good, my friends. God is incredibly good.
Thank you, God, for taking care of my family this week. Thank You for being with my brother through his heart attack, surgery, and now recovery. You are awesome and incredible. I’m so grateful that I was able to feel Your presence around us as we went through this stressful time. Please help me remember to always be joyful, patient, and faithful. Amen.