Mark’s Story of perfect timing
It was Sunday morning after church and Mark was driving to his father’s house. Together, they would go to the nursing home to visit his father’s sister. Mark arrived to find his 86 year-old dad lying unresponsive on the kitchen floor. He called 911 and the rescue squad responded quickly. They suspected a stroke, so Mark’s father was flown to a regional hospital for emergency treatment for another apparent stroke.
The day went by, then another as Mark and his wife Carole kept a vigil as his father was then in a coma. While pacing the corridors to take a break from the confines of the hospital room, Mark and Carole came upon a little chapel within the complex. Two part-time pastors staffed the chapel. One of the names, a Pastor Bruce, they instantly recognized. Pastor Bruce had been the minister of a church close to the hospital which they had attended more than a decade before. They had warm memories and enormous respect for this pastor who had previously demonstrated such caring and compassion in his ministry. Mark was eager for a reunion with Pastor Bruce in this time of personal turmoil but had yet to see either of the pastors on duty in his days at the hospital.
The time came when Carole had to return to work. She was concerned about Mark having to face a day of vigilance and uncertainty alone, but he assured her that the Lord would take care of him. As he drove the forty miles to the hospital, Mark prayed in earnest that this day would bring the kindhearted pastor back into his life.
When Mark arrived at the hospital, he parked and took the elevator to the seventh floor. As he rounded the corner near his father’s room, Mark was both astonished and jubilant as he recognized that it was Pastor Bruce standing just outside of his dad’s room and looking as though he was trying to decide in which direction to go next.
The pastor was not aware of who was occupying the room where he had posted himself. He had no idea it was Mark’s father. He had no idea that Mark was in town. He had no idea that Mark was anxious to speak to him. He just happened to be placed at the very spot at that precise moment!
Mark’s prayer was answered as he greeted his old pastor with joy. They spent some wonderful moments catching up and prayerful time together that brought peace and reassurance to Mark in the midst of this seemingly irreversible medical condition.
Mark’s dad was on life support and showing no signs of recovery. On the other hand, Mark knew his father was a believer and he had made his wishes known that this was not the kind of life he would want to have sustained. With these thoughts in mind, Mark made the decision to remove his father from life support… but, also firm in the knowledge that all was well with his dad’s soul.