Good Shepherd Lutheran Church / Monday, December 13, 2021 / Categories: Publications, Daily Devotions Daily Devotion by Danelle Buelsing “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 Lauren’s cell phone rang on a Friday afternoon. It was her sister, Melissa, who told her that Melissa’s son was in the ICU following a drug overdose. This was not the first time that Jeremy had struggled with addiction issues, but this time it created a serious medical situation. The overdose caused damage to his kidneys, which meant that he needed to be on dialysis to manage the large amounts of fluid that were accumulating in his body. As if that weren’t enough, the fluid compromised the blood circulation in his leg, and he was scheduled for surgery the next day to amputate above his knee. Lauren’s heart was breaking for her nephew and for her sister. Lauren asked what she could do. Given that Melissa’s work schedule later in the week would make it hard for her to get to the hospital, she asked if Lauren would want to come to be with Jeremy so that he wouldn’t be alone. Although it was a 4-hour drive, Lauren replied, “Of course I’ll come”. After a moment’s thought, she asked her sister if she could check with Jeremy first to see if he wanted visitors. Melissa did, and related the conversation to Lauren. Jeremy: “So she is going to be in town for something, and she wants to stop in to see me?” Melissa: “No, she would be coming just to see you.” Jeremy: “She would come here for me?” Melissa: “Yes.” Jeremy: “Does she know why I’m here?” Melissa: “Yes, she knows.” Jeremy must have been afraid that Lauren would see him the way others sometimes saw him. A drug addict. Homeless. Deserving of his fate. But that’s not who he is to Lauren. He is her nephew. The one whom she adored since she first saw him in his little infant seat 30 years ago. His mistakes don’t change the fact that Lauren loves him. He is hers. In this season of Advent, we wait for Jesus to come. But who do we think He is coming for? Do we believe that He is coming for us, or, like Jeremy, do we think that He is coming for someone else who doesn’t have our history, our mistakes, our faults? Can we fathom that God knew us before we were born, adored us, and called us His own – not because of what we have done but because of who we are? Can we believe, purely and simply, that we are His? Imagine the power of this Advent season if we can accept and embrace the fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem for us. For me…and for you. When Lauren entered the hospital room, Jeremy looked up at her and smiled, a bit hesitantly. Then he repositioned his swollen and broken body, settled back against his hospital bed, and reached out to Lauren. She drew her nephew into her arms. Previous Article Daily Devotion by Molly Kavanaugh Next Article Daily Devotion by Carolyn Kercsmar Print 4041 Rate this article: 4.2 1 comments on article "Daily Devotion by Danelle Buelsing" john gaskey love this story 12/14/2021 1:50 PM Reply to Leave a comment Name: Please enter a name. Email: Please enter an email address. Please enter a valid email address. Comment: Please enter comment. I agree This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data. You must read and accept this rules. Add comment