Hurting Hearts

This week has been a tough one. One of those weeks when people say "How are you?" and the response of "Fine" is a total lie, but to explain the truth would take far too long. One of those weeks when prayer is a struggle, but to go without praying would be harder still. One of those weeks when reporting to work and doing chores at home is necessary but the mind never fully engages.

I don't know how many of you read the blog Kelly's Korner, but I've been reading it for the past several months. Never met Kelly, but she's such a good blogger, I feel like I know her! She's been anxiously awaiting the birth of her first baby - a long-awaited, much-prayed-for baby, and yesterday, Harper was born. I was going to say "little Harper" but she was nearly 10 pounds, so that's not so little. Anyway, she has pneumonia...Harper, that is...and has had to be flown from Arkansas to Tulsa for treatment. If you scroll back through some of Kelly's recent posts, you'll see she was so prepared for the hospital stay that wasn't....making cookies and chocolate covered pretzels for the visitors that came...gifts for the doctors and nurses...and now the baby is over 12 hours hold and I don't even think she's held her yet. Not the picturesque birth she planned...but definitely a birth in need of prayer.

My heart is also hurting for my friend Brent. He's in full time music ministry around the country, so he spends a lot of time giving joy and truth and hope to others...but this week has been a thousand times tougher on him than it has been on me. One of his good friends (also named Brent) lost his wife and two children in an accident. He (the husband) was with them, but he survived, which I'm sure brings an even heavier level of pain than I can even know. Brent (the one I know) went to the funeral yesterday, which was here in Indiana in all its sub-zero temperatures.

Last night I tried to pray for these two...a baby and a mother I've never met...and a friend hurting for a friend. Two deep levels of pain I can't know, but I sure did (and do) hurt for both of them.

So if you think of an of them...and you have a minute for an extra prayer...those are two situations that could use any extra you have.