I’m hooked up. With patch-thingies: One on the left side of my chest, one on the right; another on my belly. Three dark grey wires go from shiny metal nubbies embedded in each patch to the light grey Heartrak ECAT2 — which, presumably, is communicating who knows what to who knows where.
Can’t wait to see what it spits out; will keep y’all posted.
For now, let’s move on.
When life gets bumpy-lumpy, I’ve an arrangement with the Almighty. Simple one. If I have a question, He’ll give me an answer. Straight-forward — preferably using a Bible verse relevant to my situation.
So here’s what I did. I prayed, asking Him why the past few weeks have been so tough: Death in the family. Emergency Room visit. Hospital admission. Tests. Tests. Tests. Followed by a single “normal” day. Then my wife went to the ER — prompting our son (“The Lawyer”) to fly in from NYC.
I asked God, “Why?”
Countless times. In different ways. (At one point, desperately, on my knees, at the foot of our bed.)
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
In groans. In spirit. Words. Feelings. Cries.
Nothing.
Then one day, on Facebook, I saw a modest little graphic, an artsy one with Gal. 6:2 stroked in an attractively flowing font:
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
I nearly scrolled past it.
“Bear ye one another’s burdens …” How does that fit?
Hmmmmmm …
Then it hit me: The rough patch my wife and I faced brought out the best in so many people — friends, family, church members. Phone calls. Emails. Flowers. While the problems we faced were (and, in some ways, still are) overwhelming, the overflow of love and support has been incredible. My wife and I did not have to bear these burdens alone.
There was my answer: God never promised me “easy.” (Never intimated they’d be no stress-sandwiches on the menu.) Did promise to never leave me nor forsake me.
Though this past month has been rough, we’ve not had to face it alone. Thank God for that — and then some.
Jim Lamb is a retired journalist and author of “Orange Socks & Other Colorful Tales,” the story of how he survived Vietnam and kept his sense of humor. He doesn’t like stress sandwiches. For more about Jim and his writing, visit www.jslstories.com.
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