Be Someone's Hope Dr. Michael Brooks

Be Someone's Hope

By Dr. Michael Brooks

I want to share a story about a new friend I made on a flight from Fort Myers, Florida, to Denver, Colorado, several years ago. Her name is Jean. I found my seat in Row 2, seat C, and settled in as I watched passengers pass by. I was wondering when my seatmate would find their open seats (Southwest Airlines). My new seatmate bent over and asked me if she and her son could sit next to me. Of course, I said yes, as we exchanged pleasantries before takeoff. She shared where she was from, and her adult son talked a little about his job and that he didn't live very far from his mother in Kansas City. He went on reading his book, and Jean and I talked during the flight. She shared that she had severe back pain and ended up at the ER at Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers. The doctors initially told her she had a kidney infection and that they would take some blood tests and an X-ray of her back.

After the ER Doctors got the results of her X-ray, they told her that there was a mass on her left kidney and that she should immediately fly back to Kansas City, where she was from, to get medical intervention. She told me she spends three months in her condo in Fort Myers each winter. She had only been there for two months and was disappointed she had to fly back home. The pain was so intense that she booked a flight home, and her son had to fly down and escort his mother back to Kansas City. I listened as she shared her concerns, and she was scared of what the doctors told her. I think we all would fear hearing that kind of news. I asked her if she would mind if I prayed with her right then and there. She looked at me and said, "Please, I would like that!" I put my arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into my shoulder, and I began to whisper and pray for her. I asked God to give the doctors in Kansas City the wisdom on how to treat Jean, and for her to be comforted by her family and friends. When I finished, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said that she was praying for someone to be her guardian angel on her flight home. She said, "Mike, thank you for giving me hope. No matter what the outcome, I believe God is in control." I know not everyone has the gift of encouragement and hope, but if you do, use it to help those in need. Be the voice of hope when you know someone needs it. The plane landed. She got up and was heading off the plane when she looked at me; she turned back to hug me.

Jean's story doesn't end there; she was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and we kept in touch on Facebook and phone calls. There was a period when I didn't hear from her. One afternoon, several months later, her son reached out to me and said that my mom wants to talk to you; she's in the hospital. He handed the phone to his mother and, in a broken, hushed voice, said, "Mike, are you there?" I said, "Yes, Jean, I'm here." "Oh, good. I want to tell you I am going to see Jesus real soon. Thank you for all you have done for me; your prayers meant so much and were just what I needed to hear. You gave me hope when I needed to hear it. Thank you!" Her son took the phone from her hand and went out into the hallway to talk to me privately. He thanked me as well and said that his mom only had a few hours to live and that she had to tell me she was going home to meet Jesus. She passed shortly after our conversation. That was an eye-opening phone call, one that I will never forget!

The big question we need to ask ourselves is: do we look for people to encourage during their life's struggles, or does the Holy Spirit prompt us to reach out to someone in need? What are your thoughts?