God Doesn't Social Distance
I have to continually remind myself of what God’s word says. When I feel isolated because of the orders to stay distant from others or when the enemy uses fear to try and make me think this will never end, I remember what he said to Joshua.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Or on days where I’m tired and overwhelmed...wondering if I can lead others through this...I remember I’m not leading alone because of what he said in Isaiah:
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Or when I first wake up from a dreamless sleep into the world of consciousness and remember we are still dealing with all the restrictions, loss, and uncertainty, I remember what Jesus said:
“Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
Yes, God never leaves us nor forsakes us. All we need to do is open our eyes and our ears to what’s happening around us right now. He is alive and well and moving among us!
We found ourselves at a standstill with our medical services and in need of a new volunteer Medical Director. Five patients were scheduled for ultrasounds in three days and we thought we would have to cancel them all, which was hard because at least one of them was in danger of aborting her baby. But God connected us with a Christian, Pro-life OB-GYN who was willing to volunteer to meet our needs. Do you know how difficult it is to find someone who fits that description? Not only that but to get things in place so quickly? This was nothing short of a miracle, especially in three days! God was not distant but right here providing what we needed.
Because we have tried to reduce the physical interaction between our staff and clients, I have been able to go back to where I started at Crossroads—meeting with clients. Only in this case, it’s meeting with patients in our clinics. But being one of the first sets of eyes to see beautiful babies in their mother’s womb is an honor. One young lady—I will give the name “Maria”— began to stand out in my mind from the time she called to schedule her appointment. I knew from the conversation that if she were pregnant, this would be, for her, a monumental, life-changing event that would put her in a place of heavy decision making.
Tresa demonstrating our ultrasound machine.
Maria came for her appointment very distraught, worried, and fearful about the future. When I started talking with her, she said, “I don’t know what to do. I can’t even think straight. I don’t know if I’ll get an abortion or not because I’ve heard some people have problems afterward but I don’t see how I can do this.”
After checking her in, the pregnancy test was run and came back positive, so we began the ultrasound procedure. Our Nurse Manager Tresa Mansberger R.N. is so wonderful with our patients as she explains, step-by-step, what the patient sees on the large TV screen on the wall. Our patient quietly laid on the table, waiting apprehensively as she knew she had to face the truth. As soon as the probe touched her, there it was—a bouncing baby with little fingers and toes waving his or her arms as if to say, “Hello out there!” But for this young woman, it was a shock, something she couldn’t quite believe was happening to her. It was something that she knew was bringing her to the most difficult decision she has ever had to make in her life. What will she do?
After the ultrasound scan was finished, Tresa gave Maria the pictures and explained she would contact her after Dr. Jester got back to her on the scans. Maria had admitted to me during her intake that she did not have any faith or beliefs. I shared with her the options while praying within myself and seeking the Holy Spirit the whole time. But when we came to the end of the discussion on options, I had to share what the Lord had been pressing on me for days ahead of this appointment. I told her that because of the loss of our medical director recently, I didn’t think we would even be able to meet her that day. But I believe God worked it out miraculously and one of the reasons He did was because there is something very significant about her and her baby and He has great plans for them both.
She walked out of our doors still having not made a final decision. Tresa and I took a deep breath and knew it was in God’s hands now. We did our best. Let the praying begin…but God was there the whole time. He was reaching out to Maria.
Sometimes we learn the outcomes of these appointments and sometimes we can’t, although we try. But God already knows. That will have to be our comfort and our hope for Maria and the little one we witnessed. It will be enough because He is always with us.
His presence is also very evident in the “virtual appointments” we have with clients. Suzie Fox, one of our Client Services Director, shared this story.
“My client, a non-believer, had early blood work done to determine the sex of her baby. The blood work came back showing markers for Spina Bifida. She was distraught and from the beginning of the pregnancy feared something was wrong and she was going to miscarry. When she shared this with me over the phone during one of our review sessions, I shared with her how fearful I felt in my first pregnancy and how Jeremiah 29:11 was the verse I used to combat my fears. I asked for permission to pray with her and she agreed. I prayed for her to have peace, prayed Jeremiah 29:11, how much God loves her, and for health for the baby.
After the prayer and before she hung up the phone, she thanked me for talking with her, and for listening. She told me she would let me know when she heard something. She texted me a week later to let me know the extensive blood work came back good and she was expecting a healthy baby boy! I texted back “praising Jesus!” Since that text message, we had another phone lesson review and she shared with me how she is now starting to believe things are going to be okay. She’s starting to embrace her pregnancy and baby boy. She’s already named him and is letting herself feel the excitement instead of the fear. She thanked me again for being available to her to listen to her fears and encourage her at this time.”
In these ways, Jesus is here, introducing Himself to clients who don’t know Him…yet.
As followers of Christ, remember this: He is right here with you and me and all of us at Crossroads. Not six feet apart but living inside each one of us. He is holding our hands, showing us ways to maneuver the maze so that one day, hopefully soon, we will emerge on the other end of Covid-19 having learned many new ways to promote life and the gospel in Jesus’ name.