Restoration

The telephone rings.  I rush to answer it.  The voice on the line I recognize is from the nursing home.  It tells me my mother is going to the hospital, I need to head over there right away.

I rush through preparations before running out the door.  At the hospital I grumble under my breath because there aren't any parking spaces near the entrance.  The anxiety and fear are mounting.  Finally I locate an open space, I park and rush to the front door.

At the desk I'm told to wait.  The despair increases.  After some time, and a lot of pacing, a nurse comes to show me the way.  In the room more waiting for the doctor to come.  Tests are run, vitals are assessed, then decisions are made.  My mother will be admitted, but she is coherent.  We wait some more for a room to be prepared.  Wait, wait, and more waiting.

Did you know Jesus never rushed?

The next day, I'm at home.  The phone rings at six am.  A nurse informs me my mother has been put in restraints.  She is combative; hitting, kicking, and spitting at the nurses.  They didn't want to call me sooner, they felt I needed to rest.   They can't get her to calm down and I need me to come as soon as possible.  I rush to the hospital.

Walking in the room I'm shocked by the attitude of my once joyful mother.  She is not herself, and the words coming from her mouth make me take a step back.  The nurses are very capable and gentle, but she is not herself.

Trying to get her mind off the discomfort the nurse starts a conversation with my mother.  "We need you to relax and rest.  Can you do that for us?" she asks.

My mother responds with some angst, "Don't you understand I have three jobs and four daughters to care for.  I don't have time to relax."

As tears come to my eyes and pain sears my heart, she sees me and venomously says, "I don't know you, go away!  You're not my daughter.  My daughter would never let this happen."

I leave the room and wait for the doctor.  Discussing the situation we discover she has not had any pain medication for days.  My mother is experiencing withdrawal.  That combined with the high potassium levels and an infection are causing her unusual behavior.  After orders are made, drugs are administered.

Finally my mother is resting.  The restraints are removed and the rush is over.  I'm able to stroke her cheek, her hair.  I whisper, "It's time for sleep.  You don't have to work now.  I'm taking care of you."

Restoration of health and heart begin!

I don't believe in coincidence, and God always amazes me with His timing.  This week in our Quest for Character we're studying Restoration.

Going through the struggles this week with my mother and her health I realize her life is a lesson to me.  She rushed through life believing the more she did the better off we all would be.  She didn't take time to rest and restore in God when she could.  Now, it is being forced upon her, and she doesn't know how to rest.

Take a moment every day to restore yourself and your life in Christ.  Read and study Psalm 23.

photo credit: bradleygee