Into the Unknown

Dear Friends,

As a former hospital chaplain, I remember one incident in particular that involved a  38-year-old man who, during a procedure to insert a pacemaker, went into cardiac arrest. The unconscious young man was transferred quickly to ICU, where he was put on a ventilator and hooked up to a number of monitors. I was called there to meet with his wife and the surgeon.

The news wasnā€™t good. Apparently the young manā€™s heart was very weak. It had taken longer than desired for the physician to revive it. The surgeon said that the next several hours would be critical as they monitored the manā€™s brain activity and other vital signs. He couldnā€™t say for certain what the outcome might be.

The wife, as you might imagine, couldnā€™t believe her ears. People have pacemaker procedures all the time, she reasoned aloud. It was considered minor surgery. What went wrong?

As the doctor explained and re-explained what he knew . . .  and as the wifeā€™s response changed from disbelief to fear . . . it seemed to me that, in that moment, both of them entered into that fearful place known as the Unknown. The doctor had some answers ā€“ but clearly not all. The wife indicated that she had a strong faith ā€“ but she had never had to rely on it in this way and wondered if it were enough.

Author and philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti wrote, ā€œOne is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end.ā€ Itā€™s been my experience that when the future is unclear and present circumstances seem to offer me an inadequate measure of certainty, my entire sense of well-being feels as if it is at stake. In those moments, it is difficult, if not impossible, to stay in the Here and Now.

How do I get through? I donā€™t think there are easy answers to that question. Rather, the opportunity is to know what grounds me ā€“family, friends, walks in nature, prayer, music, whatever ā€“ and keep myself firmly planted in it. Only then can I hope to move into the Unknown with a measure of courage, hope and peace.

Warmly,

Terry

 

Rev. Terry Davis