Timing

Timing is everything.

I've been thinking about that the last couple of days. After all, Dad hadn't really had a stellar week and then the whole thing on Thursday... Well, I wanted to stay hopeful, but doubt was beginning to creep in. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. You want to trust that things are happening, even though you can't see any evidence, but when the doctors are grim and you don't see the progress you want to see, how can you trust? You can start to feel like a fool for trusting.

But I suppose faith is believing when common sense tells you not to.

Theology has been defined as "faith seeking understanding." You don't understand first and then believe, rather you step out in faith and then understanding comes. I had forgotten that of late until the situation with Dad demanded of me a trust I didn't think I had. I felt like Mary and Martha sending for Jesus to come to their brother, Lazarus. "Lord, the one you love is sick." But He didn't come when they thought He should come and Lazarus died. And He didn't come when I thought He should either.

And I remembered this from singer/songwriter David Wilcox:

Look, if someone wrote a play
Just to glorify what's stronger than hate
Would they not arrange the stage
To look as if the hero came too late?
He's almost in defeat,
it's looking like the evil side will win...

Jesus waited. Lazarus died. "Martha, do you believe?" "Yes, Lord, I believe." "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? ...Lazarus, come out!"

Faith built on seeing the miraculous is no faith at all. Faith gives us eyes to see the miraculous.

It's all about the timing.

And so it's time to tell you that Dad had another great day today. He's moving so much more and very communicative. He actually joked with me earlier. His blood pressure had been pretty stable, but when he saw me and we started talking and he was moving more, it went up a little. I said, "Am I raising your blood pressure?" Nod. (I'm pretty sure he was joking!)

His lungs are looking clearer again. He has some bacteria in them, but antibiotics should take care of it.

And now it's time to get back to Dad and watch the second half of the Jazz/Portland game.