It’s been just over two weeks now since the shooting rampage at one of our local theatres claimed the lives of two vibrant and wonderful young ladies and wounded nine others. For most, save the family and friends of the victims, the initial rawness of shock caused by this senseless tragedy has diminished somewhat. Still, many like myself are still trying to find an answer to what seems to be the unanswerable. Why?
For a community of faith the “why?” goes far beyond the surface questions of lack of respect for life or too many guns or no practical plan for dealing with those that are violently unstable. No, the deep seemingly unanswerable question is, “Why would our loving, all-powerful God allow such good and decent people to be taken from a world so desperately in need of them?”
Unfortunately, there is no universal absolute answer available to Believers while we remain in this world, but there are inklings of answers that can give us comfort and solace when we question matters such as this; matters that can shake the very foundations of our faithfulness. As is my style in these weekly messages, I will make my point through sharing with you a story I stumbled upon this week. The author was not attributed, which, in my opinion, makes its message even more divinely inspired.
“Tomorrow morning,” the famous surgeon began, “I’ll be opening your heart…”
“You’ll find Jesus there! The boy grinned.
The surgeon looked up annoyed. “I’ll cut your heart open,” he continued, to see how much damage has been done…”
“And when you cut open my heart, you’re gonna find Jesus in there!” the boy answered with a weak but discernable smile.
The surgeon, finding this conversation uncomfortable, turned his attention to the boy’s parents who stood quietly by their child’s bed looking understandably drained and distraught.
“When I see how much damage has been done, I’ll suture your son’s heart and chest back up. I’ll evaluate what I find, and then formulate and share with you what our next step will be. I must tell you that the operation will be painful and what we find may be even more painful to bear. Try to prepare yourself for the worst.
The boy wasn’t paying attention. He just smiled and blurted out, “Yep, Doc, you’re going to find Jesus in there. He lives there. The Bible says He does. The songs all say He lives there. You’ll find Him in my heart.” He said confidently but with a fading modulation as his condition and the numerous medications he was taking tended to bring him often into a semi-conscious state.
The surgeon abruptly stood up as he had had enough of this. “I’ll tell you what I’ll find in your heart. I’ll find damaged muscle, low blood supply, and weakened vessels. And I’ll find out if I can make you well.”
The boy’s eyes slowly opened, but remained downcast while he replied softly, “Okay, but you’ll find Jesus there too.”
The surgeon left the room shaking his head. What had gotten into him he wondered? Why was he determined to crush a young child’s beliefs simply because they weren’t exactly his own?
If any healing was going to be done, it was going to be done by his expert hands and not by the hand of any God. He knew that. So, why was he allowing the boy’s convictions to bother him so much. Shaking it off, the surgeon told himself that he had confidence in himself alone and not much else. He would fix the boy.
As he sat in his office recording his notes after the operation was over, the surgeon shook his head in defeat as he listened, “…damaged arteries, damaged pulmonary vein, damaged… damaged… damaged… Pain relief needed. Full care required. Prognosis:” here he paused, “Death imminent.”
He stopped the recorder, but there was more to be said. There had to be more. Frustrated that he could not save the boy he shouted to the walls of his office…”Hey! Why?”
“Why did You do this?”
“You’re supposed to have put him here; so then it’s You who put him in this pain; I thought I could help him! I didn’t want him to suffer! And You’ve cursed him to an early death. Normally, I should have been able to save him but nothing could have fixed this. Nothing!”
“Why?”
The distraught surgeon laid his head down on his desk for a silent moment.
Quietly the Lord answered him. “The boy, My little lamb, was not meant to remain with you for long, for he is part of My flock, and will forever be. Here, with Me, he will no longer feel pain, and he will be comforted beyond what you could now imagine. His parents will one day join him here, and they will know peace.”
The surgeon’s tears were hot, but his anger and doubts were greater. Although he was surprised to find his question being answered, he remained unsure as to whether he was really hearing anything. Yet, he went on. “You…You created that boy and You created that heart. He’ll be dead in just a few hours. I have never seen such damage.”
“Why?”
The Lord answered, “The boy, My little lamb, shall return to my flock, for he has done his best and fulfilled his purpose. You see, I did not put My little lamb among your earthly flock to lose him…but to retrieve another lost lamb…You.”
Shocked to silence at this revelation, the surgeon wept.
Finally, gathering himself, he went to the boy’s room. He sat beside the unconscious boy’s bed grasping his hand. He sat there throughout the next day and night. The boy’s parents quietly sat across from him. Finally, the boy awoke for his last few moments and in a choked whisper, avoiding the surgeon’s eyes asked, “Did you cut open my heart?”
“Yes I did,” replied the surgeon as he reached out and brushed a small wisp of hair from the boy’s forehead. Surprised and amazingly comforted by the incredibly gentle touch of the surgeon, the boy’s eyes looked up directly into the surgeon’s eyes.
“What did you find?” asked the boy as his eyes began to close and a hint of a smile touched his lips.
“I found Jesus in there,” replied the surgeon.
Have an AWE-full Weekend!
William J. “Bill” Bacqué