Today is Monday, January 18th, 2016; Karen's Korner #3226

I had the opportunity on Saturday afternoon to visit my aunt and uncle who live in senior housing in Mason City. Dick will be 95 next week; Ruth will be 94 in March. They celebrate their 73rd wedding anniversary in May.

They started to retell the story of son Brian when he was four years old. He was sick with what they thought was the flu for several days. But he wasn't getting better. A trip to the doctor was the next step. "Take two of these and he should be better," or something like that, was what the doctor told them.

Within the next day or two, Brian wasn't any better. So Mom recalled the doctor, "You need to give the medicine more time to work," was the doctors reply. Ruth was insistent, "He is sick!" While doctors have medical degrees, sometimes parents know when things aren't right.

They took Brian in and put him in the hospital. Testing and time was passing. All everyone knew was that he was a very sick little boy. Eventually the doctor told Dick, they believed he didn't have more than two weeks to live!

Christians (and sometimes non-Christians) ask all kinds of people to pray for him/them; it included their church prayer group and other groups. Of course, everyone was asking for Brian to be healed and once again well.

Ruth said one day she left the hospital to be home to get lunch for their two older boys. Dick stayed back with Brian. "I was telling God how he HAD to heal Brian," she said. "But God reminded me of the Lord's prayer and asking 'for His Will' to be done. I didn't want to hear that or think about it. But I can remember praying and asking God for His Will. 'But, God, if You want Brian now to be with You, You are going to have to help me'!"

After lunch, she returned to the hospital and found Brian curled up in his dad's arms as nurses were changing the sheets on his bed. Dick had prayed somewhat of a similar prayer. And the first thing Dick said to Ruth, "He's going to be fine!"

Things started to change for all of them. Not knowing what 'fine' would look like. The family was told he had an advanced stage of mono and some of the treatments were beginning to work. The hospital stay last eleven days!

Brian is now 58. He has recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis which some think might be an off-shoot of his four-year-old illness. Maybe not. But you can't discount 50 good years of health and life for Brian.

Even Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead, died! God is the great healer!! We sometimes ask Him for more time. And He many times gives it to us.

But He has an ultimate plan for all of us. And it includes His Home. His Love. His Care. Him serving as our Heavenly Father for eternity! What a plan!


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