This week as we
arrived back home on Monday (Really, midnight, so Tuesday
Morning) and started back to the work of getting things done-paying bills,
running errands, buying groceries-it seemed a little surreal to me. We were
headed to Publix to do some very ordinary grocery shopping on Tuesday, and
I had a moment while we were walking through the store. That in itself was a
small miracle, as we had come to this place where it was such an effort for
Patrick to get out of the car and do things like go shopping that he would just
drop me off at the entrance to stores and drive around the parking lot until I
was done shopping, and then swing by to pick me up. He’d never say he was too
tired to go in the store, or that it was too much effort for the handful of
things we may have needed, but I have to think that must have been what it was.
Sometimes, it was what we’d do to avoid getting all three kids out of the car
to just run in for a few things (it takes so long to get everyone unloaded and
reloaded), but it became the norm, whether the kids were with us or not.
This particular time, he surprised me by going in the store with me. It made my heart so happy to already see small steps of progress, that were so huge to me. I knew he would tire quickly from the clear liquid diet, so it truly blessed my heart that he wanted to go with me. I know he needs to walk daily, and it’s so refreshing to see him owning his care plan without my prompting.
As we walked through the store, I had this moment where something as ordinary as a trip to buy groceries became a kind of sacred moment. I was reminded of the story of Lazarus, found in John 11:1-44. I’m sure you’re familiar with the story. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, and when they sent word to him that Lazarus was sick, Jesus took his time getting to his friend. Once arriving in Bethany, he found Lazarus’s sisters grieving, as Lazarus had been dead for four days. The sisters told the Master he was too late, and he was heartbroken-he wept. Then, true to Himself, he called Lazarus out of the grave-it wasn’t time for Lazarus to leave his earthly home just yet-and he returned to his family. This happy reunion is where John leaves off for us. It’s here that Father God brought me, in the middle of the grocery store. As I’m walking with my dear husband from aisle to aisle, I think I may have gotten a glimpse of how it felt for Mary and Martha once the grave clothes were off and Lazarus returned home.
Did my husband die? Of course not! Was he on the brink of death? Not yet. But something happened for me while we were gone to Mexico. I had resolved within myself that he might not come back to me the day we parted in the hospital, and I also knew that if I didn’t let him go get the surgery, I was bound to lose him soon to complications with his weight. I had to completely surrender him to my Jesus, who knew best of all what I needed. And Jesus, who sees the broken-hearted, saw my heart, my need for His help, and removed the death sentence from over my husband’s life. He redeemed Patrick’s heart 20 years before, but now, my Loving Savior had restored his physical life. An undeserved gift that wasn’t lost on me.
As I did the everyday work of walking in a grocery store that day, I got a glimpse of how Mary and Martha must have felt as they went about daily life after Lazarus was restored to them. They must have seen each opportunity to spend time with their brother as a special gift given by a loving savior. Knowing that Lazarus was restored from death made each day a special gift. Likewise, I began to see the regular, the mundane, as a privilege, a special opportunity to be grateful to the good God that I serve. And for each moment hereafter, I am immeasurably thankful.
This particular time, he surprised me by going in the store with me. It made my heart so happy to already see small steps of progress, that were so huge to me. I knew he would tire quickly from the clear liquid diet, so it truly blessed my heart that he wanted to go with me. I know he needs to walk daily, and it’s so refreshing to see him owning his care plan without my prompting.
As we walked through the store, I had this moment where something as ordinary as a trip to buy groceries became a kind of sacred moment. I was reminded of the story of Lazarus, found in John 11:1-44. I’m sure you’re familiar with the story. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, and when they sent word to him that Lazarus was sick, Jesus took his time getting to his friend. Once arriving in Bethany, he found Lazarus’s sisters grieving, as Lazarus had been dead for four days. The sisters told the Master he was too late, and he was heartbroken-he wept. Then, true to Himself, he called Lazarus out of the grave-it wasn’t time for Lazarus to leave his earthly home just yet-and he returned to his family. This happy reunion is where John leaves off for us. It’s here that Father God brought me, in the middle of the grocery store. As I’m walking with my dear husband from aisle to aisle, I think I may have gotten a glimpse of how it felt for Mary and Martha once the grave clothes were off and Lazarus returned home.
Did my husband die? Of course not! Was he on the brink of death? Not yet. But something happened for me while we were gone to Mexico. I had resolved within myself that he might not come back to me the day we parted in the hospital, and I also knew that if I didn’t let him go get the surgery, I was bound to lose him soon to complications with his weight. I had to completely surrender him to my Jesus, who knew best of all what I needed. And Jesus, who sees the broken-hearted, saw my heart, my need for His help, and removed the death sentence from over my husband’s life. He redeemed Patrick’s heart 20 years before, but now, my Loving Savior had restored his physical life. An undeserved gift that wasn’t lost on me.
As I did the everyday work of walking in a grocery store that day, I got a glimpse of how Mary and Martha must have felt as they went about daily life after Lazarus was restored to them. They must have seen each opportunity to spend time with their brother as a special gift given by a loving savior. Knowing that Lazarus was restored from death made each day a special gift. Likewise, I began to see the regular, the mundane, as a privilege, a special opportunity to be grateful to the good God that I serve. And for each moment hereafter, I am immeasurably thankful.
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