Remain

Remain

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.

IT WAS MORNING, and I was rushing to get kids out the door for school when my phone rang: It’s Dad. We shared a little small talk before he casually asked, “You remember last week when I went to the VA for a biopsy of my prostate?”

“Yes,” I cautiously replied.

“Well, they called me this morning, and the tests came back positive.”

Cancer.

I asked more questions, wanting more details. Things I could reason, assess. I wanted hope to hang on to. He did his best to answer. I knew I should pray for him before we hung up, but I just couldn’t do it. I was too afraid I’d burst into tears.

The conversation ended, and I listlessly went through the motions. Getting everything on my to-do list checked off, all the while the words swirling around in my brain: Dad has cancer.

I know people like to tell stories looking back, in hindsight. And although that can be so encouraging to hear how someone survived, or made it through, what of the times when you’re still waiting? Wondering what the end result will be?

As I sat in my living room after a too-busy morning, I finally had a chance to open my Bible. Lord, you know I need to hear from you today.

I read John 15:4. The words soaked into my mind: Remain in me. Remain in my love.

Remain. But what does that mean? To abide. Cling. Persist. Reside. So simple and yet easy to overlook if I’m not careful, unaware. That day my senses were heightened, waiting for a word of hope. But I was given the word I could cling to, if just for one day: remain.

Most days we live in some sort of uncertainty in one area of life or another. It may not always be in large or profound ways, but there is still a lot of unknown in life. Every day we can choose to remain in Christ. To cling to him. Remain.

Lord, may we choose to ignore the voices of doubt, fear, and worry that try to invade our thoughts. May we instead turn to you and remain in you. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: What area of life feels uncertain right now? What would it look like to remain in Jesus in this season?