June 3: Seek and Ye Shall Find, by David Swift, Member since 2009

Five years ago, I received the call no one ever wants to receive from my mom. My dad had collapsed at work and was being rushed to the hospital. My wife and I had just spent the day before celebrating the birth of our niece with my sister and brother-in-law and parents, who just had met their first grandchild, and less than 24 hours later, we were in another hospital in another part of town talking to a neurosurgeon about my dad’s fate. My dad had a “leaky” aneurysm which had caused severe internal bleeding and pressure which needed to be alleviated immediately. While my family and I had dealt with difficult situations in the past, this was one of those times where there were too many questions with very few answers. When or if he would wake up? Would he ever be the “same”? Are we going against his advance directive? How could we have had such a happy family memory marred by this terrible tragedy the next day? The list goes on and on. Throughout the entire incident we were asked to trust the advice and expertise of the doctors and to just wait to see how things played out.

I know I spent a lot of time praying for answers and seeking strength to help my mom as we tried to understand the realities of what might be. Early on in this journey, I spent a night at the hospital to give my mom some respite. I remember laying on the less than comfortable couch with the constant sound of Life Flight helicopters buzzing our room, medical equipment monitors beeping throughout the unit and the ventilator keeping a steady breath for my dad. I remember spending much of that night praying for my dad’s healing and that God’s will would be done. I also prayed for God to be there with all of us, but especially me at that moment, since there was so much fear about the unknown. Somehow, I found comfort and peace as I listened to that steady rhythm of the ventilator in the chaos that was all around. It was a reminder that my dad was alive and that while we might not have all the answers, God can provide a calm in the storm.

Luckily, our story has a happy ending. My dad made a full recovery and was able to return to work and retired a few years later. My parents have seen the birth of our son and my second niece since the incident and have been able to share in many wonderful family memories since that day. While this outcome was the one we prayed for, we still had many days in between where we kept seeking and knocking, relying God to hold us when we needed comfort and prop us up when our strength grew thin.

Heavenly Father, when there are more questions than answers, the one we should seek is you. Provide us that comfort of knowing that while we might not be able to see to the end, you will always be there. We pray that we would continue to be open to seeking you in both the good times and the bad, knowing your promises will always stay true. Amen.