Station 6 – Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus – Matthew 25:40
I did not want him to go. I wanted him to stay with me and ignore the rest of the world. The “him” in question was my husband Sam. It was the spring of 1998 and I was seven months pregnant with our daughter. In the space of four hours we had learned that Sam’s father in Ohio was seriously ill, and I had been in a car accident with a San Antonio police officer.
My husband did his best to remain calm, and handle two very bad situations. As he dealt with the hospital staff caring for our daughter and I, he was on the phone, talking to his sister and cousin, trying to find out how bad his father’s condition was. The answer was: very bad. Sam’s dad might not pull through. The critical time was in the next twenty-four hours. Sam was torn.
After I was let out of the hospital the next morning, I made arrangements for Sam to fly to Ohio. He had to fly out of Austin to catch the next available flight, but his dad was hanging on, still stable though in critical condition. I remember driving Sam to the Austin airport, and crying all the way home. I felt so alone, so scared, but I knew that this was the right thing to do, that God would take care of me.
The next day I tried to go to work, but I did not feel “right” and went home. Day progressed into late evening and I knew that something was not as it should be. As things came to a head in a very dramatic fashion, I found myself back at the hospital, being hooked up to all manner of medical equipment and monitors, trying to keep myself calm for my unborn daughter’s sake.
I reached out to a friend of mine, a sister in Christ. I called her, hoping for prayer over the phone, some encouraging words. She immediately came to the hospital. She sat with me while they stabilized me, and the labor contractions were stopped for the second time. She prayed with me over and over. She talked to Sam to let him know that I was not alone, and that our seven year old son was taken care of as well. I later found out that her house had been flooded that day, and she had left a whole team of workers who were ripping up her carpets and drying things out to come and sit with me. I was not a close friend of hers, more of a casual acquaintance. Yet she heeded God’s nudging and came when I most needed it.
Sam’s father pulled through. I was released from the hospital after a few days, still pregnant with a healthy baby. Our life continued on. However I will always be touched by the Godly love my friend showed me. As I had heeded God’s voice and sent Sam to be with his father in his time of need, so God sent me a reminder of His Love when I needed it. God is Good!
-Jeannine Klem
