When the holiday takes an unexpected turn

Not every summer ends the way it began.

That summer, we were afraid it wouldn't end well at all.

It was 2009. We were in Zambia to teach at a Bible school.

One evening Christina suddenly got very sick. High fever. Stomach pains. We got her to a doctor, but he had no idea what was wrong.

She ended up in the hospital. Dizzy. Slurring her words. Losing her sight.

The missionaries looked after our three girls. They were 7, 9 and 11 years old. And I sat by Christina's side.

I was afraid she wouldn't make it.

We decided to fly home. On the stopover in Dubai she spiked another high fever. Another hospital. When we finally landed in Denmark, she went straight into isolation.

For the next months she lay in bed. Losing weight. In and out of hospitals. In the end she could barely walk.

The doctors didn't know what it was.

I think of Jairus in the Bible.

His daughter was sick and dying. He found Jesus and begged him to come. On the way, before they got there, word came that it was too late.

Jesus answered: don't be afraid. Just believe.

"We live by faith, not by what we can see." (2 Cor 5:7)

That's the kind of answer that only makes sense when you can't see the way out.

Christina's parents came and took care of the girls. The church brought food and prayed for Christina.

God didn't come with an explanation. He came with people.

And slowly, very slowly, Christina came back. Today, thank God, she is healthy and strong.

Maybe your summer has gone off the rails.

A fear that won't let go. A hope that feels far away.

What Jesus said to Jairus, he says to you today. "Don't be afraid. Just believe in me."

What is the unexpected thing that has happened to you this summer, and what is holding you up?

Feel free to write it in the comments. Maybe your words will give someone else the courage to hold on.

You don't have to see the way out to hold on to him.