Monday Morning Manna: A Friday worth Forgetting

It was a Friday worth forgetting. We sat in a small, cold, hospital emergency room, and listened to a Surgeon we had never met before, as he described the delicate, complicated surgery he would be performing on my wife. An accident had fractured her pelvis, and a faulty x-ray had allowed her to keep walking until her pelvis had separated from her hip, and now surgery was required. It would be followed by three months of no weight being put on her left leg, multitudes of pain pills, long sleepless nights. For me it meant the clearing of a calendar in order to become a 24/7 caregiver. The immediate future looked dark, and troubling. That was thirteen weeks ago. With God’s sustaining presence, the prayer support and assistance of friends, and the shear grit and determination to endure, we made it. It was not easy, nor is it over. A visit with the Surgeon this past week revealed that while the fracture has healed, the stainless steel plate is secure, and home health care is no longer needed, six weeks of physical therapy remains. These will be tough days, as she learns to walk again, so he warned her about pain management. She will have sporadic swelling for up to one year, and still no driving for the next six weeks, but as the old spiritual says, “We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord; trusting in His Holy Word, He’s never failed us yet.” The disciples had a much more difficult Friday, than we did (Matthew 27:45-50). For them, all hope disappeared, or so it seemed. Their troubling future was bleak, but short-lived. Friday yielded to Sunday, and hope returned (Matthew 28:1-6). We worship the same God who turns forgettable Fridays into Sundays (and other days) of hope.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.