REACHING OUT IN FAITH

My return home was coming closer. Dad and I did a big shopping and tried to organise things to keep them in order for a while. Opening God’s word gave mum peace and confidence more then anything else I could do for her.

Unparalleled life of Jesus has been a source of inspiration and amazement for humanity ever since. Reading the events from Jesus’ life was taking mum and me to the crowds that followed Him, listening to His words and witnessing His miracles.

Roman centurion recognised Jesus as the one having authority and power to heal his paralyzed and suffering servant. He respected Jewish tradition and didn’t expect Jesus to enter a home of a Gentile. He expressed his faith in an unconditional way:

“8Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’

10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith…

13Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that very hour.” (NIV, Matthew 8: 5-13)

Mum being so sick I knew the question of healing was going to be asked sooner or later. People going on pilgrimages to holy places, looking for healers, is not only a biblical phenomena. Medjugorje, some 250 km from our home, is a popular destination for many Christian from Croatia and other countries; paying homage and going in faith, hoping for a solution to their life problems and healing.

It was easier for people in Jesus ‘time; they could talk to him, touch him. Like the woman bleeding for twelve years:

“21 She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’

22Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘Your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed from that moment.” (NIV, Matthew 9:21-22)

SOUL DRIVEN BODY

Three weeks were over. Mum regained her strength and looked serene; she only had words of appreciation. “I feel so supported by all of you; dad, Ana, Joseph, you, your families… Thank you all for being so kind to me. And all these time your husband and the girls never complained that you were not with them. That’s what Christianity is all about, seen in action.”

With her visitors mum shared her thoughts and confidence in God’s presence in her life now. She was naming her blessings, and it was fascinating to notice how this was giving her special vigour. The words from the book of Proverbs were manifested in her life:

15:13

“A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”

17:12

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

18:14

“A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” (NIV)

Parting from mum and dad had a dose of sadness and qualm. Being there with them and dealing with things as they were happening gave me confidence that everything was under control. For the first time in my life it looked as we switched the roles. I took a parental role over my parents. It was a strange feeling I had to deal with.

My best intentions, words and efforts were ultimately limited. My hands were reaching out to do good for my parents but I knew there were more powerful and more loving hands of our Creator. To those hands I committed lives of frail mum and burdened dad for unpredictable times ahead of us. We united once again in prayer and I departed.

BEYOND MANY MILES

Distance can make people feel unsettled, out of control, giving them a dull feeling of helplessness. It was prayer that bound my parents and my family 2050 miles (3 300 km) apart. People can be physically close and yet distanced. Prayer brought us, who were miles apart, close to each other and God. Daily prayers to God to sustain mum in her illness and help dad to support her gave me peace. Praying together over the phone gave us much joy and courage.

The psalmist is an inspiration of walking close with God; so close that God called David His own friend. Reading his psalms reveal the source of that closeness, the prayer. Over and over again with David I cried out to God in prayer:

Psalm 4:1

“Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.”

Psalm 5:2-3

“2Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

3In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice, in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectations.”

Psalm 17:6-8

“6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer me, give ear to me and hear my prayer…

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings.”

Psalm 86:7

“In the day of my trouble, I will call to you, for you will answer me.”

Psalm 145:18-19

“18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call him in truth.

19 He fulfils the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” (NIV)

Through his Holy Word God is constantly inviting the weak and needy man to call upon Him because he loves us unconditionally. His words written in Jeremiah 29:11-13 encouraged me and I claimed His promise during mum’s crisis points:

“11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12 When you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

LOOKING AHEAD

The third and fourth chemo that followed taxed all mum’s strength. Her body had no reserves to cope with the side effects. At night mum’s lips would get so dry that they would stick; when trying to open them they bled. After the fifth chemo her teeth started cracking.

My parents moved to Joseph’s home in Zagreb. His wife Biljana was a nurse and an ideal person to help mum in the situation. With all the support and love mum started giving up. She begged us all not to pressurise her to go through the last, sixth chemo for she had no stamina to live through it.

Throughout mum’s illness we looked for natural remedies to supplement the therapy. Ana made a special effort to obtain the oils, plants, made drinks, and substances that boosted mum’s immune system and revitalised her body.

Slowly mum started recovering. She was regaining her strength and weight and her hair started growing. With the signs of recovery her optimism and desire not to give up grew. Warm weather and seeing trees in bloom, plants and flowers growing kept mum more and more outside.

During the summer my family visited mum and dad. We had great time together and at times we would completely forget that mum was sick. Our girls Miriam and Natasha wanted to show their love and support the grandparents. They prepared a short music concert singing their favourite Christian songs and playing on recorders. That brought life into the grandparents’ home and delight into their hearts. They especially appreciated us all being joined in prayer.

At the end of that summer my family moved from Northern Ireland to Germany. This gave mum something special to look forward to. For 15 years of my married life mum was never our guest. That was mainly due to her health, which restricted her from travel. She couldn’t fly, and travelling by car would make her very sick. Moving to Germany meant that she could travel by bus. We made the plans for mum and dad to come for Christmas. The girls wanted granny to promise them to do her best to gain the strength and be their guest.

It was such a blessing, such a treat to have the grandparents over for Christmas. The festive season was thoroughly enjoyed in our new home in Kornwestheim near Stuttgart. We were all able to count our blessings and there were many.

Very soon mum and dad got to know some of our friends and became a part of our new church community, four ethnic, ex-Yugoslavian, churches that Branislav pastored in the Stuttgart district. Although not church goers, they were happy to join us for the church services and church social meetings. At the New Year’s Party they wholeheartedly joined in praising God for the past year and enjoying the party food and atmosphere. For all of us it was a wonderful way to begin the New Year.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 823