A new post on my Facebook page caught my eye. Here's what it said:
"Josh May you gotta pull through man I've known u longer then I know anyone else out here we used to chill everyday and u r not going like this I pray for you to pull through u have a lot of friends and family who love and care for you bro pull through please pull through."
My curiosity peaked. I did not know who Josh was or what happened.
I posted this comment: "Can you send me a private message to let me know what happened?"
I received this response: "He is a friend of mine who I have known since 4th grade and he hung himself. Now he's in ICU."
Me--Oh, man, Jonny. Is he in a hospital near us?
Me--I'm so sorry. I'll be praying with you.
Me--But let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, okay? If I need to borrow my friend’s car to take
you to the hospital, I can try and do that.
My nephew, who had just become the dad to his second daughter, was now
dealing with the attempted suicide of a close friend. What do you tell
someone who is trying to grapple with those emotions?
I decided that what I told him was good for now.
Because Josh hung himself, I knew he was without oxygen. It reminded me
of Jonny's brother Aaron, even though the cause of the injury was much different.
I pictured Josh's parents, finding Josh, dialing 911, just a couple of days after Christmas. Now they were at the hospital, not leaving Josh's side, having
to talk to the doctors about his brain injury and the hopelessness of Josh ever
regaining life. Then comes the decision.
Two days later, Jonny posted this message: Josh May this is for you I love
you man and you'll be missed. The ventilator had been turned off, watching the heart monitor as the heart began to slow down and then that tone when your loved one is no longer alive. You sit in the room. Unable to move. Unable to stop the tears and the sobs. Unable to will your loved one to open their eyes just one more time. Their gone and your life will never be the same.
One of the most difficult things for people to understand is why God doesn't
save their loved one. He saves others but not theirs. My Christian faith gives an answer to this question. Before we were born, God wrote our
names in the Lamb's book of life. In that book is the day we are born and
the day we die. Every death in my life has been written in that book. Having that knowledge has brought a great sense of peace
for my grieving when people and pets die. It doesn't mean that I don't go
through the grieving process - I do, indeed. But in doing so, I have this
deep inner peace with God at the center that everything is going according to
His Plan.
Where people spend their eternity is another plan all together. That's something each of us chooses. If you want more information about it, see my previous posts in the past week.
My nephew Jonny is new to the Christian faith. I'm trying to teach him
that God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want Him to. But that
doesn't mean He doesn't care. He cares so much about us that He promises
to be our comfort in times of sadness and that's something we can pray for
Josh's family and friends.
God's comfort is something we can pray for anyone who has to suffer.
I pray 2014 was a year where you saw God's activity in your life. If you feel up to it, why not jot down some things that caused you to take better care of yourself, presented challenges that you were able to overcome or gave you hope for a better future.
Many blessings for a Happy New Year!
Love Amy
