Not every summer ends the way it began.<\/p>\n
That summer, we were afraid it wouldn't end well at all.<\/p>\n
It was 2009. We were in Zambia to teach at a Bible school.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She ended up in the hospital. Dizzy. Slurring her words. Losing her sight.<\/p>\n
The missionaries looked after our three girls. They were 7, 9 and 11 years old. And I sat by Christina's side.<\/p>\n
I was afraid she wouldn't make it.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
For the next months she lay in bed. Losing weight. In and out of hospitals. In the end she could barely walk.<\/p>\n
The doctors didn't know what it was.<\/p>\n
I think of Jairus in the Bible.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Jesus answered: don't be afraid. Just believe.<\/p>\n
\"We live by faith, not by what we can see.\" (2 Cor 5:7)<\/p>\n
That's the kind of answer that only makes sense when you can't see the way out.<\/p>\n
Christina's parents came and took care of the girls. The church brought food and prayed for Christina.<\/p>\n
God didn't come with an explanation. He came with people.<\/p>\n
And slowly, very slowly, Christina came back. Today, thank God, she is healthy and strong.<\/p>\n
Maybe your summer has gone off the rails.<\/p>\n
A fear that won't let go. A hope that feels far away.<\/p>\n
What Jesus said to Jairus, he says to you today. \"Don't be afraid. Just believe in me.\"<\/p>\n
What is the unexpected thing that has happened to you this summer, and what is holding you up?<\/p>\n
Feel free to write it in the comments. Maybe your words will give someone else the courage to hold on.<\/p>\n
You don't have to see the way out to hold on to him.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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