The God Of All Comfort

Life usually doesn’t usually turn out like we see in the movies, does it? I’ve been remembering back to when we had our twin boys who were born by emergency C-section at 31 weeks. I had just started going in for weekly non-stress tests, and the physician on-call had trouble finding the twins’ heartbeats! Now both were having difficulties keeping up with life outside of mommy’s belly.

Day after day for almost three months we drove 90 minutes round-trip to Children’s Hospital to spend time with our babies. Even though Matthew, our 2 year-old, was a trooper and so excited to visit his brothers, after awhile we knew we needed to find someone to watch him at home.

We found a great young gal to watch him, and as we dragged ourselves home from the hospital daily we did the best we could to make sure we were giving Matthew all the love and attention he needed, as well.

Yes we were exhausted, yet I really wasn’t overly concerned at this point. Things would work out, right?

Then came the day when one of the twins’ doctors called us into a special meeting. Our littlest twin, Bryan, just wasn’t responding as he should. His tests showed that his brain stem was not connected as it should have been. His best prognosis? Little Bryan would grow up not ever being able to walk, talk, take in food or move any of his limbs.

Our world crumbled – what? How could this be happening to us? At this point in time I still had not learned to trust and rely on God.

The decision was made to transfer him to a fragile care house where the staff are trained to provide care for children up until 18 years of age. The kids living at these facilities are basically waiting to die.

Yet strangely enough, when we brought little Bryan to this facility, the staff were so warm and welcoming! It was like a home, and we felt that our precious little boy would be well loved and taken care of. Little Bryan passed into the arms of Jesus less than two weeks later.

We found out later that this fragile care home was Christian-run. These loving people were serving the Lord using their gifts to love all the precious severely ill children until it was time for them to go up to their heavenly home.

This brings to mind Jesus’ teaching in Luke 9:46-48. The disciples were arguing about which of them would be the greatest. Jesus brings a little child to Him and says in v. 48: “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest” (NIV).

So many of us lift up those who are the great teachers, preachers, writers or speakers. But to me, the staff at that fragile care house were the greatest of the great. And I am so thankful that the Lord brought little Bryan to that home to live out his last few remaining days on earth with people who loved him and prayed for him with the love that only Jesus can give.