The Schedule Wrecker

 He was a schedule wrecker. 

Hospital follow up with a discharge summary an inch thick. 

30 year old with long history of Meth and alcohol abuse, coded while playing soccer, in the ICU for weeks. No PCP. No insurance.  The ICU had been his first visit to the doctor in decades. Somehow alive, somehow sitting here in my office with his anxious wife. 

he said he was ready to get clean. He had 5 kids younger than 10 after all. 

I hope so, I thought as I made helped him with a medical plan forward but suspecting I might never see him again after this visit. 

I offered to pray with him. He and his wife were touched. there were tears. then they left. 

....

I saw him a few months later. He was still clean. this time his wife and 8 year old son came with him. 

Me: "Are you religious or spiritual?"

him "No, but I want to be..." 

me: "Would it be helpful if I shared what the Bible says of how we really Know God and live life with Him? "

him: "yeah!"

I drew out the old bridge diagram. then the 2 circles. When I asked where he wanted his life to be, He pointed to the circle where Jesus was King. I asked if he wanted to pray together now to receive the gift of eternal life with God. YES he did. I started to pray and he was going to repeat after me.. 

But then something unexpected.... 

It wasn't just his voice I heard. 

A woman's voice. A little boy's boy's voice, the man's voice.   all praying together, asking God to forgive them, save them and take over their lives. 

New life. New hope. A new way forward. 

there were steps to finding them a Spanish speaking church. The mom said one of her older kids already went to one with a friend and they would try going with her sometime. 

........

Lord, please take hold of this family to be Yours forever.