Life or Death

You know, when you wake up in the morning you pretty much have no idea where life is going to take you, what opportunities God will provide, or what path through the day you will travel.  But, if you are willing and able, you could be led almost anywhere - even where you least expect to be found ...

Last week was simply awful.

I had a friend hurting and there seemed to be nothing I could do right in reaching out to them - throughout the whole of the week!  It ended with my being unfriended on Thursday.  I was devastated and posted my open position on Friday for a new best friend.  Perhaps it was a bit tongue in cheek, I was hurting and in a cruel joke on me - it was humorous to think anyone could ever consider being my friend.  This was the last active friend in my life.  It was only with the greatest of prayer I agreed to meet with my recently lost best friend on Saturday morning.  I had prayed bunches before hand, I thought I knew what to say, but Saturday was not much better than Thursday had been ...

Well, it did not go as planned and I ended up driving home in tears for my friend.  I could not understand, everything was upside down and backwards.  Nothing got through.  I had  no clue what they were going to do, what God was going to do with them, I was without a clue - this was so far from what I am familiar with.  And friendless, I went home in a state of shock.

Many hours later I got a call from them and they were hysterical.  I had received such a call like that once, in 1975, from two of my high schoolers.  Confused, at the end of themselves, unable to even articulate a complete sentence.  I thought they were drunk, it was graduation night and 2:00 AM.  Their bodies were found the next morning.  And I was utterly devastated and completely clueless.  But, that phone call has remained in my active memory through all of these years.

And here again, the exact same words, the exact same confusion, the exact same desperation being confessed.  Getting an address, after numerous tries, I flew to my old friend!  No, not because I had anything to offer or gain, they had already rejected everything me - but because they were a part of my life and even if not still a friend, their life is far too important to be trifled with!

No, I was not their first choice to call.
No, I was not even their second choice.
They ran out of anyone they could think of they needed to call.
No, I am not the perfect one for such a task.
Just the only one to rush to their side.

And I prayed the entire way there that God could kill all traces of the old me and let only the new creation communicate whatever was needed.  I know the old me to be too cold, when friendship, honesty and sincerity were going to be needed.  No memory of the recent past could exist between us.

It took many hours to stabilize my friend emotionally, then mentally and finally spiritually.  From desiring death to showing them there is hope, there is a reason to live, their life was not over - only Satan's hold over them was and the need to always remain so.

No, no more details than that are needed.  Enough to just share that God used me in a big way on Saturday and helping to rebuild my friend ever since - step by tiny step.  They are doing well, full of questions, full of fears, full of tears, but handling each day and letting me know instantly a prayer concern or question.  God is so awesome when you can see Him in action!  I am humbled.

And so, you would think Kris would now be a hero - at least amongst those whom knew what was going on, on Saturday.  Nope.  My children whom I had praying through this, were interestingly disinterested to learn all was well.  Really?  The people of my church's prayer chain just asked if intervention had been successful and commented that, that one could now be scratched off the list.  Really? Gaelic Girl was in full war regalia from Saturday through today.  And I got dumped on Wednesday night by her.  On the one hand I am evil and on the other, oh yeah, I am still evil and  how come God keeps using me without permission.  Really?  And of course, I had to hear from GG's therapist, whom wondered at how I could seem to "know" how to help people and yet be so completely clueless concerning GG.  Really?

Is human life, any human life, so without value that there can not be a celebration of joy when one is rescued?  Really?
Is there some inane characteristic within the Christian body that must correlate unrelated events to prove you evil, or themselves not evil?  Really?
Is there some misunderstanding that when a person its bottom that there is a long term critical need for prayer?  Really?

For my friend: prayer in all aspects of life as they are slowly returned back to where they need to be, an involved church found (and in Seattle?  But it has to exist!), a good Bible Study found, prayer warriors are needed to run interference for them as they grow in strength and faith.  Think back to your own struggles as a new Christian - and just imagine that your birth was at the point literally of death - that is how much prayer is needed by you for them!  And, Satan is not done with the attack, I have no doubts that even now he is formulating how to call them back over to his side ... it will be tempting, it must appear to be what is desired, it must appear to be an answer from God, but it will be a lie and will predate whom they are today.  Yeah, lots of prayer because the fight is not over.

Thank you.

Perhaps we truly are living in the very last days when the hearts of the many, have turned cold and love - even compassion -  is no longer a commodity shared between humans ...