Six weeks ago the mother of one of Evelyn's best school friends suffered multiple strokes while going for a run. We prayed she would survive that first week, and she did. When I went to see her at Johns Hopkins Hospital, I'd forgotten about the enormous statue of Christ in the main lobby, and was overwhelmed with the sense of God's loving care, concern, and compassion as His children face the many struggles of this fallen world.
My friend came out of her coma, stabilized, was taken off all life support, and moved to a rehab facility where she is now running a daily marathon of therapies. We pray every day for her return of speech, communication, and mobility, and for the endurance of her family as they surround her with love.
She and her husband have two children. Their little boy is in kindergarten. It is almost unfathomable to me that a 41 year old fit, healthy, calm, conscientious woman would suffer multiple strokes and have to face this mountain of recovery while her husband and young children live daily in her absence.
But it happened, and I have been awed by how, in the midst of this dark experience, her family and friends have shown remarkable determination to be positive, focused forward, and filled with hope and joy. I have been humbled by it. They have chosen, whether conscious of Philippians 4 or not, to focus on the things that are not only true, but are right, pure, praiseworthy, admirable, and excellent...to think on these things.
They are dwelling not on the cold, hard, hibernating earth, but on the sky and its promise of sun. It may be true that circumstances have us frozen, immobilized, in pain , frustration, or sorrow. But it is excellent, praiseworthy, pure, right, and admirable to dwell instead on the coming of spring, the truth that the world does reawaken, time does heal, and progress happens every day, if only in the smallest drip of thaw.
I learned that my friend practiced meditation and yoga, and daily, deliberately chose to be positive. It has reminded me of all the times in Scripture we are encouraged to meditate, and I have renewed my commitment to it--to emptying my mind so that God's truth and words can fill it slowly, peacefully, warmly, and entirely. It is not easy! My mind fills ridiculously quickly with so many other random thoughts, and the practice of emptying my mind is far harder than the meditation itself.
This morning I dwelt on God's provision of beauty, and on Jesus' words in John 8:12, "I am the Light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life." Darkness comes in many forms: insecurity, fear, anger, dread, self-hatred, guilt, jealousy, self-righteousness, self-consciousness, bitterness...But following Jesus walks us "out of the darkness and into His marvelous light." (I Peter 2:9) His marvelous light...into His marvelous light. What beauty in those words!
Join me in prayer for my friend as she recovers, for her husband, children, and family as they face this unforeseen bend in their lives' journeys.
"I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways." (Psalm 119:15)
"You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." (Is. 26:3)
"I will remember Your wonders of old. I will ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds." (Psalm 77:12)
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