God Winks: Caring Friends

Caring Friends

“A friend loveth at all times… Proverbs17:17 (KJV)

We sat in the surgical waiting room watching the minutes slowly turn into hours. Would the surgery ever end?

The night before my Mom hadn’t felt well. I didn’t think much of it, since she had good and bad days as a rheumatoid arthritic. My call to her after we arrived at our lake cabin set off alarms as she described her symptoms. I knew we needed to go home in the morning.

The five-hour trip, which usually passed quickly with a good book or tatting project, seemed interminable. Finally we pulled into our underground parking space.

Bypassing the elevator, I ran up the stairs to our condo. One look at Mom, and I knew she needed immediate medical intervention. I called her doctor’s office to tell them we were heading for the emergency room.

X-rays showed adhesions from a previous surgery resulted in a bowel obstruction. She was scheduled for emergency surgery and wheeled into the operating room several hours later.

By then, it was early evening, and my husband and I sat alone in the waiting room. Weary from our trip home, bored with the old magazines and unable to concentrate on the book I’d brought, I tried to sleep. Instead, my mind wandered. What if she dies? As the last of my immediate family and best friend, I couldn’t imagine life without her.

Evidently I dozed, because I awoke with a startel when I heard footsteps. Thinking it was the doctor, I stood up and stretched, trying to wake up. When I looked at the doorway, I saw a couple, dear friends for many years. Someone had called to ask them to pray for Mom. After they prayed, they headed to the hospital.

They greeted us and asked for an update. Then they sat down intending to stay until the surgery was over. We continued to visit and share memories until the doctor came out an hour later, telling us all was well. The surgery had been successful.

We rejoiced in the good news and thanked God for sparing Mom. Obviously, she still had work to do.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for loving, caring friends who are there for us, especially during crisis times. They bring Your peace and comfort when we can’t think clearly enough to claim them for ourselves. Please remind us to do that for others in their times of need. We ask in Jesus’ name, amen.

Thought: How often have we sensed the Spirit prompting us to do something and ignored it? How many blessings have we and others missed by our lack of follow through? Next time we sense the Spirit leading us to do something, let’s respond immediately.

By Joyce Heiser