We had a snowstorm this past weekend. I’m not sure exactly how much snow we received but it was 20 cm (about twice the length of the long edge of a credit card) or more (that’s around 8 inches, give or take). I had a fair amount of shoveling ahead of me. Fortunately, I bought an electric snow thrower a few years back. It’s not built to handle a great deal of snow, especially the wet snow we receive here on the East Coast of Canada BUT if you go out a few times, it will work fine. I’m happy with the results.
Melissa and I have seen our fair share of “storms” over the past 23 years (almost) of being married, many surrounding the times we spent in the hospital with our children. Some of these storms were battles our children were facing. Some people invited us into their own family struggles with their own children’s health concerns.
I quickly learned that some of the issues we faced were not as grim as other families. I recall one conversation at the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto that Melissa had with another mother about a drug treatment her little boy. This mother was torn between choosing between a few different clinical trials available for her son. My wife comforted this poor woman as best as she could.
The mother continued to pour out her emotions. She, like Melissa, was the only parent going to each appointment with her child. She bore much of the stress while the father, like me, would only be there sporadically. She connected with Melissa because they could relate to each other. It was a kinship built on trust, reassurance, and familiarity.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been hosting an online bible study/prayer time over Facebook. We have been studying verses that people sent to me as being their favorite. The words of each verse speak not only to the greatness of God but can be a familiar comfort in some of their personal storms.
One of the most popular verses shared with me is Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God...” (NIV). These words not only encourage the reader to recognize that One greater than themselves is in control but it also gives call to pause; to cease all they are doing and quiet themselves.
It can be chaotic when all the world seems to be against you; or when the earth seems to be falling away from under your feet. This verse calls us to simply stop long enough to get your bearings. Take account of everything that is happening, as well as every available way to you. It calls us to simply take a breath. The Hebrew phrase for “Be Still” is roughly translated as “Stop!”
We all face battles. We all struggle with different things. Life isn’t always fair, or easy. I believe that even in our hardest battles there is always a time, a small window of opportunity, when we need to find the time to stop and collect ourselves. If you believe there is a God that cares for us, like I do, then taking to the time to stop all questions, doubts, fears and concerns gives us time to focus our gaze from our situation towards the One that holds it all in the palm of His hands. It gives us the moment to see that we are not alone in the battle.
If, by chance, you are reading this and you do not believe in God, I hope you, too, can see the benefit of stopping in the middle of a crisis to reach out to someone familiar to your battle much like the woman with the sick child did with Melissa. There is comfort to be found when you realize you’re not alone in this world! It is like a faint light in the darkest of nights giving us all a glimmer of hope when it all seems hopeless!
Very well written Fred. We all need to stop at times
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