When your phone rings in the middle of the night, it is rarely good news.
A few years ago, I received one of those calls. I learned from my son, Benjamin, a newlywed of nine months, that his wife’s parents and her four-year-old brother had been in a horrific automobile accident. Her father and brother perished immediately. Her mother was in the hospital, clinging to life. To further complicate the situation, my son and daughter- in-law were living on another continent, serving as missionaries in Europe.
I could hear the pain in my son’s voice as he said, “Dad, I feel so unprepared for this.”
Even though thousands of miles separated us, the agony of that moment was as real as if we were in the same room. I struggled to share a few words of comfort and a short prayer. As a father, I wanted to fix it, but there was nothing I could do. Within a few hours, Benjamin and Karen were on a plane traveling home. Upon arrival, they learned that Karen’s mother was brain dead and was being kept alive as an organ donor.
God Doesn’t Waste
By John Nelson
Author’s note: The circumstances and events shared above accurately reflect what actually occurred. At the request of my son and daughter-in-law, their names have been changed.
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