Maureen and Sean – VII

From Middletown hospital Sean was airlifted to University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville. Maureen’s mother came to the house to watch the kids and Susan and Sharon were off with Maureen to Charlottesville, a two-hour drive. I was on my way to Middletown when my cell phone made a beep-beep-beep to indicate I had a new voice mail message; I pulled off the country road to listen to the message; cell reception was on again-off again in certain sections of the Shenandoah Valley so the call had come when I was out of cell range. The call was from John who had followed the ambulance from the jobsite to Middletown hospital.

“Bob, they’re flying Sean to UVA in Charlottesville.”

I doubled-backed for a few miles until I hit a road that would lead to the interstate and Charlottesville, the drive would be about two hours and thirty minutes.

On the way to Charlottesville I prayed for Sean, for Maureen, and for their kids. Then I started mentally going through the entire congregation, praying for each individual and family, then I started thinking about each person I knew in town and praying for them. Times like this, reminding me of how fragile life is, are a good motivation to pray.

The unknown hovers over you on drives like this. How is Sean? How is Maureen? What will she find when she gets to the hospital? How are the kids? How is Maureen’s cancer? Sean’s injuries must be life-threatening, is he going to make it? If he makes it will he be able to work? Do they have health insurance?

I visualized every mile of the road, then I visualized the approach to the hospital, then the hospital parking lot. I visualized parking the car, walking into the hospital, going up to the front desk to find out where Sean was, finding Maureen, hearing the news of his condition – that was as far as my visualization went. I knew there would be something waiting for me when I approached Maureen; I knew that this something would be there no matter what the news, no matter what the future; that something was the amazing grace of God; I knew that the grace of God and the Lord Jesus would be right there – and that meant that I could trust Him to walk with me, as a pastor, through the afternoon and evening with Maureen. I didn’t need to know what to do or say when I meant Maureen – all I needed to do was to be there for her and her family and to trust Christ to love us and lead us.

There are things in this life that are beyond answers; but there is nothing in this life beyond the grace of God.