Читать книгу There Is A Time - A. Ray Lee - Страница 3

Having to walk with someone you love through a terminal illness can be a life-altering experience. The knowledge that a loved one is nearing the end of life is emotionally and mentally exhausting – almost to the point of being overwhelming. Additionally, thoughts such as “I don’t know if I can get through this” or "why is God allowing this to happen?” are just two of the distressing questions that can complicate the process. It is during these times that people are not interested in a sermon, nor are they in the mood to read a tract or receive advice. What they need is a shoulder to cry on, someone who cares and will listen to their story, someone who will help bind up their emotional and spiritual wounds.

As a Hospice Chaplain myself, I understand the difficulties that families face when a loved one is terminally ill. Traveling the road of suffering during the difficult days of my own parents’ terminal illnesses was certainly emotionally draining and spiritually frustrating. I understand what it means to have someone willing to come alongside and help lessen the pain.

This is why I found A. Ray Lee’s experience as a pastor and hospice chaplain comforting. Through these pages Pastor Lee offers reassurance that the negative unrelenting daily turmoil is a side-effect of having to deal with life threatening illness.

But the frustrations do not have to dominate the situation. Pastor Lee reveals that God is in the midst of the heartache and pain. As you read these stories you will begin to understand that the hand of God moves silently and steadily through the daily challenges. Pastor Lee’s reflections are a motivating source for those of us who share the experience of walking through the “Valley of the Shadow of Death.” A. Ray reveals the power of God as the eternal light that warms and illumines the dark pathway of suffering and crisis.

As it has been said, “People don’t care how much we know, until they know how much we care.” That is the heart of a chaplain, and this is the heartbeat of A. Ray Lee.

Dr. Harold Fanning

Chaplain Alacare Homehealth & Hospice