This is my last post for the 11 Ways to Comfort In a Crisis series.
I pray that you were able to find a few ideas to be able to reach out to someone you know who is going through a painful trial.
The last 3 ideas today are probably the most important of them all.
The GREATEST comfort to me over the last 6 months was knowing that people were…
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#1 – Praying for us.
Right away our church started a Prayer Chain for the Happy Baby. A calendar was posted on our church’s website where congregants could sign up for a time slot throughout the day to pray for the Happy Baby.
It was amazing. Time slots were available all day long (including the wee hours of the night!). Almost every slot was filled – which meant that the Happy Baby was being covered in prayer 24-7.
I bawled my eyes out when I read the names of people who signed up to pray… Even an 11-year-old boy had signed up for the 1 am slot. 🙂 And there were many names of people we did not even know who had gotten wind of our story and wanted to help somehow.
I firmly believe that our baby boy (and us, for that matter!) would not be where he is today without the army of prayer warriors lifting him up all the time.
In fact, I giggled when our pastor’s wife said to me one day, “I think God is going to be sick of hearing from all of us!”
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#2 – Fasting
Fasting is when you choose to deny yourself something for a certain amount of time.
Some people choose to fast from food, while others might fast from a particular thing (like an iPad or even a blog).
It is a biblical way of demonstrating your love to the Lord by the denial of basic pleasures- that He is more important to you than things or food.
The goal is to spend your time completely focusing on Him.
It is also a way to come before the Lord with a desire to see Him do something.
One of my friends decided to fast from food and spend time in prayer for us every Monday until the Happy Baby came home.
About one month into the hospitalization, I texted her and said, “Girl, you are going to be a twig when all this is said and done.” 🙂
But let me tell you something.
I came to look forward to Mondays because it brought me such comfort to know my friend was joining me in the battle in such a sacrificial way – and she has a husband and 3 kids of her own!
As a result of her faithful obedience, she became a source of great wisdom and encouragement for me.
Pray about it. Maybe the Lord might call you to give something up for a day or two or more for the sake of a brother or sister in need.
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#3 – Weeping
This last reason was the one that impacted me the most throughout our trial.
On more than one occasion, with more than one friend, I discovered what it meant to have a person with whom I could grieve with.
There were days when I just needed to talk to someone, to bawl my eyes out about the incredible burden I was carrying with all the pressures and decisions we were having to make about our little one’s health and life…
I’d pick up the phone, dial a friend, and she would literally weep with me.
I’ll never forget the day when the doctors were all 98% sure the Happy Baby had Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Against my better judgement I went home and scoured the internet for information about it.
I could see why the doctors thought what they thought.
I dialed my friend’s number and cried and cried.
She burst into tears and cried and cried as well.
And she said, “If that is what it is, Julie, we will help you get through this. You will not be alone.”
She came alongside me in my pain.
She responded to the call from Romans 12:15 to, “…mourn with those who mourn…”
She didn’t try to ‘help’ or ‘fix’ things. She simply shared a tissue. 🙂
When people are hurting, God calls The Church to be their comfort. To enter into that person’s pain with them.
And it is there that true healing can be found in the crisis.
“Weeping may remain for the night, but joy comes in the morning…” Psalm 30:5
Happy Pray/Fast/Weep-ing. 🙂
Thank you so much for this whole series. Every suggestion is beautiful, and I have taken notes, saved your posts, and even used one of the suggestions already. Thank you for bringing to us the wisdom of what you have been through with your precious son.
Julie, I thank you so much for this series. I have a dear friend (that I met in second grade) whose 27 year old daughter is in the last stages (she has hospice care now) of ovarian cancer and I am just brokenhearted. Megan (the daughter) is one of the most faithful Christian people I have ever met! Her faith is incredible and has never wavered through this whole experience, even though she will leave behind a son who will be turning two this month. She and her husband are such an amazing team. Megan is an inspiration to everyone. Sorry to go on, but this series couldn’t come at a better time, especially someone like you, who knows and understands. Thank you. I hope that I will be better able to comfort my friend.
I really enjoyed reading all the parts of this, thank you for sharing these ideas. Not only is is nice to hear how all these things helped bless you, but I think if we put our minds to it, we can see how all these things would be nice and helpful to others, whether they are going through big things (like you were) or small things too. Just being a friend who will come bring supper to someone who is under the weather, or sending a note to someone when you are thinking of them can really brighten anyone’s day and let them know they are cared about. Thank you, Julie, you help me be a better child of God every day by your ideas, I really appreciate you. 🙂
This is a terrific series, Julie. I’ve already put some of your ideas to good use and will be using more of them as the opportunity arises. Thank you for sharing from your heart. I’m praying for your happy family each day. Blessings and hugs!!!
Hey There Happy Fairy
Thanks so much for sharing your life lessons, advice and ideas.
I’m from South Africa and my lil boy is recovering in hospital as he was diagnosed with 3 different viruses. God-willing he’ll be home with us tomorrow. Reading your inspirational message now just reiterated to me that I should remain steadfast in my faith and truly believe in God’s power and mercy.
I abdolutely enjoy your blog and the realness it brings. My life is so challenging and I struggle to find the balance – however with the wisdom and experience you share I’m certain I’ll be able to apply it to my world too, as it get very crazy at times.
Stay blessed!
All the best,
Fuzzy
I really wanted to take a moment and thank you for this series of how to help a friend in crisis. I recently found out that a very good friend of mine is having a child with spina bifida. They will be going into the hospital for surgery in a few short days and will continue to stay on at the hospital for the following ten to eleven weeks following the surgery until the baby is born. I have been scouring the internet for ideas of how to help, and your series was perfect. My only hope is that myself and my church can provide her with same experience that you had during your difficult time. What an incredible example of Gods love and grace carrying you through a time that would otherwise be unbearable. You have been a blessing to me, and I hope that in turn I can be a blessing to my dear friend. Thank you!!