5 Spoonfuls Of Courage Sample

Courage to See the Unseen

A teenage girl lay on the trauma room gurney, her naked body caked in blood, dirt, and glass. I pinched her elbow, but she did not draw away from the pain, a sign of brain death. 

I gathered my thoughts, preparing for the family waiting outside. How can I tell them their child is brain dead and will never live a normal life? 

I did my best to explain the girl’s prognosis, but my words were ineffective. They didn’t seem to hear what I was saying. Instead, they moved toward Kendall’s bedside and watched her life slip away. 

While they told me all about her accomplishments, Kendall’s vital signs deteriorated. Her organ systems were shutting down. Soon, this young woman would cross over into eternity.

“Doctor, would you pray with us?” asked Kendall’s grandmother. Reluctantly, I joined hands with the circle while Grandma prayed,“Thank you, Father. Now she’s perfect.”

Perfect? She’s far from perfect. I looked at Kendall and saw a hopeless situation. A meaningless death. An unexplainable tragedy. Her eyes were swollen shut, her head the size of a basketball. Blood ran down her face, ears, and mouth. A catheter drained the excess fluid from the brain. 

I closed my eyes again, tuning back into Grandma’s prayer. She continued. “Thank you, Lord. Her body is now perfect in Your presence.”

Often in a crisis, we experience tension. On one hand, we believe God can intervene in our situation and do the impossible. On the other, we know God can also give us the supernatural ability to endure any tragedy and accept what happens. How then, should we respond? 

We must remember, there are no formulas when it comes to expressing faith. We rest our faith in a person, not a recipe. We focus on honoring Christ, not our desires or comfort.  God wants us to know His will. He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide, counsel and help us through the process. Then we accept, believe and move forward. 

In Grandma’s case, praying led her to accept Kendall’s death. Believing changes our tragedies into triumphs. Grandma saw what others couldn’t. By faith, she saw her granddaughter’s glorified body in heaven, the greatest miracle of all. 

Believing is seeing.