Children & Chocolate and Other Paths to God

I just got an email from an older neighborhood friend who informed me that her husband suffered a “mild” heart attack last night. (mild in that there wasn’t a lot of damage and they caught it early) They put some stents in, and he seems to be doing okay. It sounds incredible to me, but she said they might be sending him home as early as tomorrow.

My friend sounded tired, as she didn’t get home from the hospital until 3am, but otherwise not terribly upset. (I’m sure she’s still in shock and the stress will set in later.) Fortunately her daughter is home from college this semester, so she had support nearby. It always amazes me when things work out like that. God made sure she wouldn’t be alone during this crisis.

After I hung up with her, I immediately went to the fridge and started pulling out ingredients. I need to make a quiche.

My friend didn’t ask for help, but I know what the next few days are going to be like. She’s not going to be sleeping well. She’s going to be spending a lot of time at the hospital. She’s going to be preparing to take care of her husband when he comes home. It’s going to be stressful.

So, I will pray for her family. And then I will cook.

In the absence of any other requests (food shopping, picking up kids, stopping at Target), I need to cook for people in times of crisis. I know lots of women who feel the same way. Sometimes we just feel helpless, and it’s the least we can do. But I often recall how I’ve felt during my own rough times when feeding myself came up low on the priority list. And lack of nourishment can only make situations feel worse.
 
When we cook for people in times of need, we are acting as God’s servants.

In my Old Testament bible study yesterday we talked about the prophet Elijah. He performed miracles, and struggled to convert the Baal worshippers (which included Ahab and the infamous Jezebel) back over to God. Despite his good efforts, however, things didn’t always turn out as he hoped. At one point, Elijah worked so hard for God, he physically and spiritually wore himself out, and got deeply depressed. Before God gave him any kind of pep talk, however, he took care of Elijah’s basic needs. An angel told him to sleep, and another gave him food.  When Elijah felt better, then God was able to help him get on with what needed to be done.

Most people live their lives trying to do the “right” thing - whether it’s diet and exercise, working hard, or being kind to others - and expect a positive outcome. Sometimes, however, what we percieve as “positive” is just not in God’s plan.

It’s not always within our power or our place to explain why bad things happen to people we care about. Instead, we can follow God’s example with Elijah. We can help nourish each other’s bodies in times of crisis - so that God can come in and help them emotionally and spiritually to do whatever needs to be done next.