Hear me out! Just wait a minute before you take my faith card! Let me have my say then you can say what you want to say.
Recently, I, as a hospice chaplain, was at a home where a 10-year-old boy died. I, along with a nurse and social worker, was dispatched to the home because we knew the grandparents were struggling. When we arrived at the home, it was obvious by the boy's body functions and bowel and mouth excrements that he was no longer here but had indeed crossed over. Though his ventilator was still connected, the boy's heart had stopped.
As customary, if the family has a pastor, I notify the pastor and assume second chair to the pastor allowing the pastor to provide pastoral care to his or her congregation. When the pastor arrived, he requested that the hospice team leave the room. I assumed that this was done so that he and the family could pray a prayer of faith that the boy would be revived, or perhaps resurrected.
After several hours of being there, we finally convinced the grandmother that the boy was indeed dead and that we had to follow proper protocol of calling the police department and the coroner followed by a funeral home of choice. The nurses removed the machined and prepared the boy's body for the funeral home.
Let's be clear! I know that God is a miracle worker because I've experienced many miracles in my own life. God has resurrected some dead stuff in my life. HOWEVER, it was clear that this young life would be resurrected on that great getting up morning and not on this earth. Certainly I understand grief is powerful, and it is an intense emotional response to the loss of a person, place or thing.
While in the home I struggled to balance the family's faith and science. How much is too much, and when do you know that it's too much. I'm surrounded by death every day, and I for the most part I hold myself together. However, this moment took my breathe away more than once.
Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Comentários