BY REV. BOB GILBERG
The Olive Branch Community Church of Firebaugh
I have said it before and I will say it again, getting old is not for sissies. A few years ago, my father was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Because of this, his memory has been failing him, leading to confusion and frustration. Recently, he experienced a small series of heart attacks and a stroke.
It is difficult to see the people you love struggle. My father is grappling with his diagnosis and recent stroke, and my mother is unable to visit my father unless there is someone to drive her. Moreso, she is slowly realizing that she is not able to care for my father on her own.
Our family decided to move my father into a care facility that can tend to his medical needs. In their 65 years of marriage, this is the first time my parents have been apart for more than a few days. It is taking a physical, emotional and spiritual toll on my mother. I have wept with her several times over these past couple of weeks, yet it is clear where her strength comes from.
Her strength is rooted in her faith in God and relationship with Jesus Christ. Even still, our faith can waiver and our strength in God can wane during difficult times. So, how does one renew their faith and strength in God?
They must allow themselves to be vulnerable, confess that one cannot overcome the trials and tribulations of this world alone and by turning to our family and friends in our hour of need.
My mother’s faith and strength in God is renewed by her relationships with family and friends. As much as she is grieving the absence of my father, she is encouraged and strengthened by the presence of her children, visitations and calls from her grandchildren and family and by the support and comfort she receives from her friends.
Isaiah declares, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand,” Isaiah 41:10.
The comfort and strength received from God comes from a covenantal relationship established by Him, a relationship renewed through faith in Jesus Christ. Apart from this relationship, one may encounter frustration as they attempt to handle impossible situations on their own strength and wisdom.
Isaiah tells us, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation,” Isaiah 12:3. This type of joy is experienced during times of celebration. It is deep-felt and communal in nature, a joy that is expressed outwardly during times of festivals and weddings.
It is not a joy that can be experienced in isolation. It is a comfort and a joy that we know through our relationship with each other, one that is rooted in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
It was on the last day of the festival when Jesus cried out to the crowds, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. For whoever believes in me, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water,” John 7:37.
This imagery of thirst is used throughout the Bible to convey the soul’s deep longing for God, it reflects on the life-sustaining nature of our relationship with the Divine.
These rivers of flowing water cannot flow through if people isolate themselves from their brothers and sisters in Christ, hiding away in seclusion during difficult times. It is through relationships with one another and common faith that a person’s relationship with God is magnified and one finds strength in Christ.
This truth has come alive for me as my father continues to recover from his stroke. It is through our presence, prayers and shared faith in God that my parents are finding the comfort and strength they need to overcome their current circumstances.
Isaiah declares, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Then, you will sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; then, you will shout, and sing for joy,” Isaiah 12:3-5.
This is the promise of salvation which we have in Jesus Christ. This is the strength and comfort we experience through our shared faith in Him. Praise be to God!
