Into the Storm

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A few weeks ago, I was driving from southwest Michigan around the bottom of the lake, heading for Chicago. I appreciated the good traveling weather, sunny and dry, knowing that winter winds and moisture funneling down the lake (known as lake-effect blizzards) can take drivers by storm, pun intended.

Just ahead...As I whizzed along appreciating the 70 mph speed limit, an ominous sight came into view, a swath of stormy-looking clouds hovering directly over my route. On more than one occasion at that same point in the trip, I’ve driven from dry weather into a snowstorm that was akin to blasting through a white curtain into another world.

As I continued on, I thought of how we can often see other types of storms coming to our lives, too. We might know ahead of time we’re going to experience a rough struggle, but circumstances dictate we have to head into it anyway.

Major surgery is one of those.

Although doctors usually give minimal detail about the suffering a patient will encounter post-op, we begin finding out as soon as we’re in the recovery room. And it doesn’t always get better from there. In some cases (like Mary’s) the misery hangs around for quite some time.

In hindsight, though, Mary couldn’t very well have said no to this surgical storm. Now that she’s gone through it, her prognosis is a thousand times better than if she’d opted out. And just like a lake-effect blizzard, the turbulence she’s currently experiencing will end.

No life is free of stormy periods. Our son Lars used to live in San Diego, and when I asked when the weather would be best to visit he said, “Mom, it’s warm and sunny every day here.” I thought of our crazy Midwest weather with its variety of storms, and wondered if those Californians appreciate their sunshine as much as we do ours.

Operating roomAnd that’s the thing about storms like surgery and so many others. After spending some time “down and out,” it’s a thrill to get back to ordinary life. After bearing intense pain, it’s a blessing to have a feel-good day.

Mary and Bervin gratefully drove from Rochester back to Chicago yesterday to spend their first night at home in quite a while. And it was every bit as soothing as they’d hoped. Mary reported that today was nourishing in every way.

By the way, that day I drove into a crazy lake-effect storm, I had to grip the steering wheel tight, lean toward the windshield, and squint to keep from getting hypnotized by the wild snow. But once I came out the other side, I could sit back, loosen my grip, and drive calmly the rest of the way.

Into the stormMary, too, will come through her storm to face life with a new sense of tranquility and gladness. An ordinary “ride” will have become a supreme pleasure.

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble… He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness.” (Psalm 107:28-30)

Mary’s prayer requests:

  1. Pray she’ll learn which foods work well and which don’t
  2. Pray for weight gain
  3. Praise for a good first day back home
  4. Praise for the encouraging cards/Scriptures in their waiting mail

The Finishing Touch

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Two Hands KinttingWhen my friend Lynn and I were in high school, we took to the art of knitting with a passion. Whenever we were together, our needles were clicking on scarves, ear warmers, simple sweaters, mittens, baby clothes, and eventually ski sweaters with complicated patterns and multiple colors.

Within a few years, though, our zeal for knitting had shifted to college, then careers, husbands, homes, and children. It wasn’t until a decade later, when Nate and I were cleaning a crawl space, that I came across a giant box full of knitting stuff: needles, balls of yarn, pattern books, and partially knit items that were never completed. It surprised me how many I’d left undone.

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GIFWMYBack in the 1970’s there was a movement in Christian circles with this slogan: “Please be patient. God isn’t finished with me yet.” I had a button that read, PBP.GIFWMY, and a book came out by that name. Although the fad passed, the concept remained. I gave up on my knitting and many other things too, but how good to know God will never give up on us.

In thinking of Mary and her time-consuming recuperation from cancer surgery, she might be tempted to sink into discouragement. “My progress has really slowed, and I still have so much pain. And I don’t like dealing with this feeding tube, which I’ll have to manage for quite some time. And when will I get my energy back and be able to resume normal life again? I wish my body would hurry up and heal. I want this to be finished!”

But… GIFWMY: “God isn’t finished with Mary yet.” Actually, it’s true of all of us.

Well, all but one. Jesus did finish.

From his near-death suffering on the cross, John 19:28 tells us he knew the moment his work was done: “Jesus knew that his mission was now finished.” And shortly after that he let the world know it by announcing, “It is finished!” He had done what he came to do, opening a way for us to get to God. His resurrection became the phenomenal exclamation point at that finish line.

The rest of us will never be able to say we have nothing more to do until we’ve moved in with Jesus. Only then will our work be finished, our purpose accomplished. In the mean time, God wants to help us finish what we start, especially in terms of our most difficult challenges. And his desire is to keep us from discouragement along the way. In reference to Mary and her slow healing process? GIFWM*Y. Not by a long shot,

*Mary

“I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Mary’s Prayer Requests:

  1. Praise for a partial solution to feeding tube pain
  2. Pray for continued improvement with remaining, deeper pain
  3. Praise for being released to go home today!
  4. Pray for strength and weight gain
  5. Pray for Tiff, who cleaned their hotel room for 15 days, a former crystal meth addict. They gave her a Bible.

Setbacks

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The last time my grandchildren were visiting me in Michigan, I found 5 year old Skylar rifling through my trunk of board games, looking for something to play. I hadn’t seen most of those tattered old boxes for quite some time, and they brought back memories of when our kids were young, though not always happy ones. I remember often saying yes to a game but only reluctantly: “Just one, OK?” (After all, some of them could last for hours!)

Chutes and Ladders boxOne of the games our little boys loved was Chutes and Ladders. With the spin of a dial, game pieces would move ahead one square at a time, starting at #1 and marching toward #100, where a Blue Ribbon was waiting.

The only trouble was, this was a game that might have no end. The directions read, “Ladders lead up only; chutes lead down only.” And if players landed on too many chutes, the game morphed into a marathon.

Chutes and Ladders boardReal life is full of chutes, too. We call them setbacks. It’s especially true if we’re already on a path to some kind of comeback. But no restoration process is without its backward slides, whether it’s a reconciling marriage, a rehabbing addict, a healing widow, or, as in Mary’s case, a recuperating patient.

 

For the past several days Mary has been harassed by sharp abdominal pains every time she moves. It seemed localized around her feeding tube, and after the experts unclogged that, they expected improvement. But the pains continued, and so an infection was suspected. Twenty-four hours of antibiotics didn’t help, so today she underwent a detailed scan of the area. Dr. Truty’s report was, “Everything looks good.” One possibility, he said, is bowel spasms, which should clear up on its own.

Mary had been “The Poster Child for Whipple Surgery,” both before and after. She amazed the doctor, the hospital staff, and all of us with her eager-beaver approach to regaining strength. Maybe that’s why hitting a setback isn’t just about pain in the abdomen but also about pain in her spirit. And when anyone experiences the double-whammy of physical and emotional pain together, discouragement can’t be far behind.

But Mary has maintained all along that her hope is in the Lord and his Word. As she says, it’s an anchor that always holds. No matter how dispiriting the circumstances, God’s promises remain true. They don’t get worn out, spoiled, or out-of-date, and neither does he. Her Father is partnered with her for the duration, and as she needs an increase in courage, stamina, and/or optimism, he will deliver. She’s counting on it.

UP to feeling betterThen, in due course, just like with Chutes and Ladders, she’ll find herself bypassing the chutes and landing on a ladder that will elevate her directly to feeling better. And we hope it’s very soon.

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the One I praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14)

Mary’s prayer requests:

  1. For abdominal pains to cease
  2. For permission to return home by the weekend
  3. Praise for so much uninterrupted time with Bervin
  4. Praise for family and friends who faithfully pray without giving up