Emergency "See" Section.

Between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, I spent about nine hours in the emergency room at a local hospital here in the Bronx.


Left brain: If it's so cool outside, why is my coat open?
Right brain: I'm too warm. By the way, I'm a little off-balance, so I also need to straighten up before I fall down.
Left brain: No! My legs are straight. I'm walking normally, this is how I walk. If I change position I'll fall down.
Right brain: No! That's incorrect. I feel like I'm going to fall... or pass out... Legs and feet, stop walking-- let me just lean on the building here and get my bearings.
Left brain: Hands, button my coat. It's cold. Something's not right here.
Right brain: Something's not right here.
Holy Spirit: Genise, go to the hospital now. I'll go with you.


So He and I went to the hospital, and my husband joined us there. Every test came back negative: the machines said that nothing was wrong with me. But the Holy Spirit spoke through the medical staff and through my dear husband. I was dehydrated. I was stressed out. I was overextended mentally and physically. I was sleep deprived. And, even though my vital signs were well within the bands of normalcy, the Lord was sending a message: The machines say you can go; but I say to you, Stop. Rest. Replenish.

Sometimes things look okay when they are not... and sometimes things look bad, but they are not so bad after all. Pastor Richie shared with us the wonderful verses that speak to our state as believers in a fallen world:

God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts. He gives us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, but we have this treasure in jars of clay. He has done this so that the excellency of the power will be seen and known as God's power, not ours. We are troubled on every side, yet we are not distressed. We are perplexed, but we are not in despair. We are persecuted, but we are not forsaken. We are cast down, but we are not destroyed. In our bodies, we continually carry the dying of our Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will also be made a reality in our bodies. (Second Corinthians 4:6-10)

The Lord is sending a message: The machine of the world says you are in trouble; but I say to you, Peace and Victory. Live in this fallen world through My overcoming power. Let My light shine through you regardless of the hardships that come your way.

A trip to the eye doctor on Wednesday afternoon revealed that my forty-six-year-old eyes have changed quite a bit, and my feelings of being off-balance are partly due to my eyeglasses. The lenses, once "perfect", are now too strong a prescription for the current state of my sight. I am seeing in a new way.

Hallelujah! As children of God, we get to grow up in Him. And, as we get older in the faith, the Lord reveals new perspectives to us. The crucifixion of Jesus might have looked like the end of a movement, but it was actually the key to our freedom and the means by which the Church would be established. The loss of job or loved ones may look like the end of all joys, but the Lord has the power! He can make such events the turning points in our lives that draw us to His side, making us more effective witnesses and agents for His glory to shine in the world.

Lord God, give us new lenses. Cause us to see things Your way.