Losing Everything But A Promise

Losing Everything But A Promise

As for me, I look to the LORD for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Micah 7:7-8

Loretta was raised with money and manners, and it showed in the way she held her head high and walked with confidence. She was always dressed to perfection and very well put together. But when her husband of fifty-five years died, so did her elegance. She seemed to lose her edge, and she cried a lot.

Her loss was monumental, and as time went on, she began to lose weight and energy. We started her on antidepressants, but she remained depressed. The medication only slowed her downward spiral.

One busy day in my office, Loretta missed her appointment. I made a mental note to call and check on her when things slowed down, but before I could phone her, I received a concerned call from emergency medical services. Loretta had been found on the floor at home, where she had lain for more than fourteen hours before someone found her. That alone could have been a terminal event, but even more concerning was the result of the fall—a left intertrochanteric hip fracture. To have the slightest hope of recovery, Loretta would need surgery and extensive rehabilitation. I wasn’t sure she had the emotional and mental fortitude it would require.

I prayed with her during this acute phase, and the Lord answered our prayers. Loretta made it through surgery and was transferred to the nursing home for rehabilitation. At first, her sadness continued, but eventually she started to get her old swing back. I knew things were headed in the right direction when she began putting on makeup before my scheduled visits to the home. Soon, the physical therapy department was praising her steps toward recovery. Three months later, she was back on her feet, and her smile was as radiant as ever.

“I’m proud of the progress you’ve made,” I told her.

“Dr. Anderson, I lost everything, except for the promise that God would save me,” she said. “And you know what? He did.”

TODAY’S RX

When you fall, look up. God is there, and he has the power to heal and restore you.

God, help me to view my condition through your eyes—that it is temporary and that greater things are yet to come. Thank you for restoring my spirit.