He is always with us. December 2023

by khurst2@gmail.com | Dec 10, 2023 | Chaplain, News

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

On my last night as a hospital chaplain in seminary, I received a call around 3:00 am.  It had already been a hectic night.  It seemed like the pager would not stop going off.  The nurse told me that they had a baby in the pediatric intensive care unit on life support because of brain swelling from a car accident.  His mother had been driving and had been hit by a drunk driver.  Her mother was killed instantly, and now her son was on life-support.

I got myself together and walked over to the pediatric ICU to talk with the nurses and see the little man.  I had never seen a baby’s head swollen and banged up like that in my life.  While I was standing next to his bed, I noticed his name was Immanuel.  The nurses informed me that Immanuel was going to die. I prayed with little Immanuel and then visited with his mother.

When I walked into the waiting room, I immediately observed that she had a lot of support with her.  There were friends and family members all sitting with her and comforting her.  At hospitals, people tend to get scared when a chaplain enters the room because they either know or assume the chaplain brings or precedes terrible news.  Unfortunately, this was one of those times.  I informed everyone who I was and let her know I was there to support her in any way I could.

I sat and listened as the mother explained what happened that night and how she was upset because she watched her mother die because of someone else’s fault.  She then began talking about her fears for her son’s life and how she did not know what she would do if she lost him and her mother.  And then she said something I will never forget.  She said, “I named my son Immanuel, which means ‘God with us,’ so I know God is with me right now.”  It was painful to hear her say that, knowing what I knew yet, I could not tell her.  Her son was going to die.  I remained with her for the rest of the morning until she fell asleep.  I left my contact information with her friends in case she needed me later.

As I returned to my room, her words echoed, “I named my son Immanuel, which means ‘God with us,’ so I know God is with me right now.”  I began to wonder what “God with us means.”  Had God failed her in the death of her mother and son caused by the actions of an irresponsible individual?  Where is God in all of this?

God was there long before I arrived.  God was there when the accident took place.  God was there in the nurses and doctors, tending to her and her son.  God was there in the friends and family, comforting her.  God was there even in me coming there to comfort her in her time of need. And God is still there with her even now.  God is always there.  We may not always understand how God works, but we can rest assured God is with us, Immanuel.

There is such power and freedom when we release our ego. – Nov 2023

by khurst2@gmail.com | Nov 2, 2023 | Chaplain, News

“…in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

Isaiah 30:15

Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to be quiet when you feel you have been wronged. It is human nature to defend our honor, especially when our reputation and credibility have been attacked. We don’t want these false accusations going out into the atmosphere. Lies are like millions of feathers in the wind. We cannot control their direction or recollect them.

In truth, our desire to defend ourselves is wrapped up in ego. We’re worried about how others perceive us. We don’t want people to think we’re weak or they can walk all over us. So, we immediately go to war when someone defames us because this cannot stand! This is a sign of weakness, and it gets exhausting after a while. We can’t fight everybody. And the truth is, the higher you go in leadership, the more it will happen. You become an easier target. No leader in history has walked this earth with an impeccable reputation. People are going to think what they want.

New level, new devil. Accept it. It’s not going to change.

So, what can we do?

Remain silent.

The ability to remain silent in the face of persecution shows immense strength. I did not understand the power of silence until my final year of grad school, when I had worn myself out from trying to fight and defend everything and everybody. I realized I was fighting a war I could not win. If people don’t like you, then they are not going to believe you. Conversely, those who like you are going to support you regardless. So why bother trying to defend yourself? People are going to believe whatever they want to believe.

There is such power and freedom when we release our ego. When we stop caring one way or another about the opinions of others and walk in our truth, we have freed ourselves from a self-imposed prison. Most of the situations we stress about end up working out for our good when we are in a calm and rational state of mind. When we are reactive, then we tend to make matters worse. When we are proactive, the solution comes more quickly, and we save ourselves much energy.

Free yourself.

Remain silent in the face of difficulty and trust that the truth will come out and you will be vindicated.