In The Waiting Room

It took place in the surgical waiting room of Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was fall of 1988. A team of surgical specialists were performing surgery #2 on my infant son to correct congenital abnormalities discovered at birth. Overwhelming anxiety and hopelessness smothered me as each breath taken became inaudible cries to heaven for mercy and help.

To my left, sat a young mother softly weeping. The sound of surgical hallway doors opened as gowned specialists entered. As a group, they walked towards the young mother. Gathering around her, they slowly pulled down their face masks. One of them stepped forward and laid in her lap a long lock of beautiful blonde hair. In soft and compassionate tones, they proceeded to inform her that everything was tried. They did all they could. The brain operation was unsuccessful. The young child did not survive. Deepest sympathy and compassion was expressed by the surgical team. They wanted to personally present to her a final token…a lock of her child’s hair.

It was in that moment my life changed. My anxiety and hopelessness was overshadowed by surrounding grief of another mother. A mother’s grief that wailed in despairing sobs. A mother that was never to be in The Waiting Room for her child again. The sting of death had completed her journey.

I look back on that moment in time when I learned a few things…

God chooses some of us to have many moments in The Waiting Room.

Waiting for news…

Waiting for outcomes…

Waiting for end results that are beyond our control…

Waiting for announcements that impact our lives forever…for the good or bad.

How we process news with acceptance or rejection determines so much.

Can we live with that?

How will things change?

What will we need to do?

Time spent in life’s Waiting Room become frozen “moments in time” that impact us forever.

Without God’s flooding comfort and strength, The Waiting Room becomes a coffin of death and despair we are forever trapped in. With God’s intimate whispers of hope and strength, The Waiting Room can become a cherished classroom of trials and tests that grant us achieved accomplishments of not only survival, but thriving hearts filled with gratitude and deep peace.

In times of great crisis and trial… when you are assigned once again to wait in The Waiting Room…

May you hear God’s whispered peace. May you be covered with God’s protection. May you discover the richness of God’s ultimate fulfilled promises as you are wrapped with His robe of righteousness and chosen favor.