I never imagined my first night in a hospital would start with me blacking out – and coming to on the cold tile where the toilet once stood. My wife’s frantic voice cut through the fog moments after she’d been startled awake by the sound of shattering porcelain. She helped me back to bed, and as I lay there dazed, I pictured the little rock on my office bookshelf engraved with Psalm 46:1–2:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear.”
I wondered if I truly believed those words when life felt so uncertain.
In the ER, doctors called it “hyponatremia” – my sodium levels had plummeted so low I nearly seized. Who knew a few missing electrolytes could put me on the floor? That one word felt like both diagnosis and warning: our bodies – and our lives – can unravel in a heartbeat.
Compared to the struggles many of you face, my ordeal feels small. I’m grateful that this situation is manageable. Still, it forced me to admit how fragile I really am, and to wonder if my faith is as strong as I claim. I’m writing this still a bit rattled, acutely aware that at any moment life’s certainties can slip through our fingers.
Yet even in my shaky state, I keep coming back to those words of Psalm 46:1–2. They feel less like polished platitudes and more like a hand reaching out in the dark—steady, sure, unyielding. That promise becomes a little more real when you are forced to accept that you need it.
I’m deeply thankful for the care I received: my wife who tended to me in the middle of the night; the excellent hospital staff (including two fellow PTCUMC attendees who felt like angels in scrubs); the friends who checked on me, replaced my broken toilet, and mowed my lawn when I got home. I was constantly reminded that I wasn’t alone.
Jesus never promised easy lives; he warned that trouble would come. But in that same breath he assured us we’re never alone in the struggle. If life ever leaves you unsteady, let’s cling to Psalm 46:1 together. Send me a note, fill out a prayer request on our website, or chat with me after worship – whatever helps you bear the load. We don’t need perfect answers; we just need one another and the promise of God’s steady presence.
