Unusually alert at 5 am, I put the car in reverse and belted, “And... we’re off. A new adventure awaits.”
“Do you mind toning it down a little,” Don retorted. “I’m the patient who couldn’t have any coffee this morning.”
Stunned and humored, I remarked, “That’s the first time in our eleven years of marriage that you’ve had to tone me down in the morning.”
Normally by the time I roll out of bed my husband’s had three cups of the stir in kind and overwhelms me with cheer. But not last Wednesday. Only hours from a cardiac ablation, the reality weighed heavy. And in time, we understood why.
While everything we read indicates Don’s heart should heal and the afib should calm, between the anesthesia and the incisions made in two major arteries, the initial recovery has proven slower than expected. But day by day, he’s coming back to life, and we’re emerging from the hospital time warp.
However, even in the midst of the very long day, it didn’t go unnoticed that Billy Graham died on the day of Don’s ablation. When we finally settled in a room with time to talk, I asked, “Do you know what happened today? While you were under?”
Still groggy, he didn’t remember until I prompted him. But then I learned a recovery nurse beat me to the punch.
However, between low blood pressure and unusual shivering, Don’s health took precedence over thoughts about Rev. Graham for the rest of the day. Early the next morning, though, I saw a headline that struck me—and many others—and underscored the current plight of our nation: Teen Vogue’s Lauren Duca rips ‘evil’ Rev. Billy Graham: ‘Have fun in hell.”
Some may deem my reaction a bit dramatic. But I don’t think it is. Our shock value culture devalued an icon of the last century. A man who prayed, lived a life of honor, and simply led millions to the saving knowledge of Christ became fodder for the vile. And the depraved heart that chose to undermine the saint gained notoriety.
Her words weren’t ignored. They made front page news. A tweet—a mere stipend of words—traveled the worldwide internet highway with lightning speed only a day after the faithful man breathed his last.
No doubt Rev. Graham had faced harsh critique. Christianity as a whole has taken a beating lately. And even Jesus said, "Do not suppose I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword..." (Matthew 10: 34 NIV).
Thus, standing in faith has always exposed one to the world's ridicule. It's nothing new. And nothing underscores that reality more than the hateful comments that recently made the rounds.
And the more I write, the more I realize Ms. Teen Vogue gave Rev. Graham the greatest compliment a true believer could receive. She trounced on him with a rare meanness only one who has stood the test of time deserves.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds if evil against you. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5: 11 NIV).
I grieve that we live in a culture that craves unhinged emotional diatribes. But I do hope that I have the courage to speak Biblical truth no matter the judgement, push back, or verbal slang that results.
Billy Graham sure did.
All photos courtesy of pixabay.com
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