I unofficially declare September 14-20 Crisis Week – at least at our house. Sunday was Mom’s decision to move in with my brother and sister-in-law and her unexpected move. Then I had two days of cleaning up after her move and tying up loose ends.
This morning, I was pumped because all that was behind me, and I had the day to write a devotion and then prepare for the American Fiction Christian Writers’ Conference. It begins tomorrow in Minneapolis. Then Allen, our monk, called. He was having a crisis, and we spent most of the morning counseling him. About noon he’d resolved the immediate issue, but we said good-bye to him knowing he has more struggles ahead.
I was too emotionally wrung out to write anything. Instead, I packed for the conference and made food for Hiram to eat while I’m gone. And I prayed for our son. A lot. He has matured so much in the monastery, but he has more maturing to do. He’s an adult, and all Hiram and I can do is watch and pray and encourage him as he makes hard decisions about the direction he wants his life to take.
It’s like when he was little and we would send him off to surgery, entrusting someone more skilled than us to save his life. We would sit in the waiting room, watching the clock and trying to imagine what was happening. Only this is spiritual surgery for a spiritual wound Allen’s carried for many years. The surgery will take a very long time. If you know Allen, would you keep him in your prayers? Pray for his healing and maturing. Pray for his decision-making. Pray for those around him who are helping him heal.
And pray for us. It’s lonely in the waiting room. It’s hard to relinquish control.
