A couple months ago I came home from one of our Sunday services to find my wife napping in
our bed. This was very unusual, as Liz is generally the first to wake up in our home, and she
usually gets more accomplished by 6am than I do in an entire day. Finding her in bed past noon
caused me some concern.
I gently woke her up, asked her how she was doing, and got a report of a migraine that just
wouldn’t go away. After assessing the situation and calling a doctor friend, we decided to go to
the emergency room.
We were hoping to get some medicine to make the migraine go away and then quickly head
back home. However, after a few tests, the doctor came out and told us to plan on staying a
few nights in the hospital while her carotid artery dissection healed. Not good news! We said a
prayer of thanks for the great blessing that this was discovered early, that there was no long-
term impact, and that Liz was quickly pain-free and back to normal.
It had been a while since I had found myself in an emergency-type situation, and now that we
are a couple months removed from it, I’ve been processing our experience.
When Liz was in the hospital, all my meetings got canceled. Our family spent a lot of time
together. Friends came and visited Liz, frequently checked in on us, and cared for our
immediate needs (and wants). We found ourselves pondering the significance and fragility of
life. We prayed with our nurses, told our doctor about Jesus, and tried to receive everyday (and
moments) as a gift from God.
It’s interesting to me that during an emergency, priorities get reshuffled. What’s most
important makes its way to the top of the list without any conscious effort on our part. During
an emergency, we don’t process information the way we do in non-emergency situations.
During an emergency, what’s actually most important becomes most important, and secondary
issues take a backseat.
What about for followers of Jesus, and what about for the Church? Would we say our nation
and world is living through an emergency? Do we live as though we understand the
consequences of sin, and do we live as one that can offer a solution? Because of sin, I do think
our nation and world is in a state of emergency; however, I don’t want us anxious and panicking
as if we are ones without hope.
We know the great healer, and I would hope we’d make it a top priority to bring people closer
to Him! I wonder what priorities might change if followers of Jesus embraced that we are living through an emergency. I think the secondary issues of our faith would take a backseat to our commands to love one another. Secondary issues that frequently cause division would be cast aside as we prioritize our call to live in unity, to go and make disciples, and to love one another the way that Jesus loves us!
Our world desperately needs help. May we truly live out our top priority and do all we can to
bring people closer to Jesus!
Peace,
Nick
our bed. This was very unusual, as Liz is generally the first to wake up in our home, and she
usually gets more accomplished by 6am than I do in an entire day. Finding her in bed past noon
caused me some concern.
I gently woke her up, asked her how she was doing, and got a report of a migraine that just
wouldn’t go away. After assessing the situation and calling a doctor friend, we decided to go to
the emergency room.
We were hoping to get some medicine to make the migraine go away and then quickly head
back home. However, after a few tests, the doctor came out and told us to plan on staying a
few nights in the hospital while her carotid artery dissection healed. Not good news! We said a
prayer of thanks for the great blessing that this was discovered early, that there was no long-
term impact, and that Liz was quickly pain-free and back to normal.
It had been a while since I had found myself in an emergency-type situation, and now that we
are a couple months removed from it, I’ve been processing our experience.
When Liz was in the hospital, all my meetings got canceled. Our family spent a lot of time
together. Friends came and visited Liz, frequently checked in on us, and cared for our
immediate needs (and wants). We found ourselves pondering the significance and fragility of
life. We prayed with our nurses, told our doctor about Jesus, and tried to receive everyday (and
moments) as a gift from God.
It’s interesting to me that during an emergency, priorities get reshuffled. What’s most
important makes its way to the top of the list without any conscious effort on our part. During
an emergency, we don’t process information the way we do in non-emergency situations.
During an emergency, what’s actually most important becomes most important, and secondary
issues take a backseat.
What about for followers of Jesus, and what about for the Church? Would we say our nation
and world is living through an emergency? Do we live as though we understand the
consequences of sin, and do we live as one that can offer a solution? Because of sin, I do think
our nation and world is in a state of emergency; however, I don’t want us anxious and panicking
as if we are ones without hope.
We know the great healer, and I would hope we’d make it a top priority to bring people closer
to Him! I wonder what priorities might change if followers of Jesus embraced that we are living through an emergency. I think the secondary issues of our faith would take a backseat to our commands to love one another. Secondary issues that frequently cause division would be cast aside as we prioritize our call to live in unity, to go and make disciples, and to love one another the way that Jesus loves us!
Our world desperately needs help. May we truly live out our top priority and do all we can to
bring people closer to Jesus!
Peace,
Nick