Fasting, Healing and Praying

My Facebook Fast ended about 14 hours early. I’ll let you decide whose idea you think it was.

I have 120 notifications on Facebook, piling up over the last 40-plus days. I didn’t know that until this morning because when I gave up socializing on FB for Lent, one of the last things I did was to turn off my notifications. Lead me not into temptation and all that.

This morning, I received a notification that I had a message from a FB friend asking me to call her at a phone number out of town. I might’ve waited until tomorrow to return her call, except for her last sentence: “I’m still in the hospital.”

I called. She has been in the hospital far from her home for three weeks. She was out of town on business when she almost died. Almost lost her leg to amputation. The procedures doctors used to save her leg and her life sound horrendous. They have no idea what is wrong and until they do, they cannot cure it. If this recurs — and there’s every reason to suppose it will — she may not survive. She is 38 years old, a beautiful woman who shines a light of love and wisdom into the world. I know this is so because I’ve only met this woman once face-to-face, but she inspired and encouraged me during the lunch we shared. We felt a bond, a spiritual bond, I believe.

My friend believes this ordeal is not about her. It’s about touching the people with whom she’s crossed paths. They are sharing their stories with her and, I’m sure, gaining courage or hope or inspiration in their conversations.

She knows her situation is critical. She knows a cure may not be coming. But we talked about the possibility for healing, even if there isn’t always a cure.  Whose healing? Who knows? Maybe hers. Maybe her hospital caregivers’. Maybe healing will come in strained family relationships. Maybe it will be for the friends who pray for her.

Last night, as I contemplated the end of my FB fast, I found myself questioning whether I was as excited as I’d expected to be about re-entry. I realize now that the fast has come to a close in a way that reinforces my belief that relationships forged on Facebook need not be shallow or trivial. You are my community and with you I share crazy fun music videos and news that outrages me and insights that remind me what’s important. And we share the stories that reveal the meaning and the depth of our lives.

If you pray, please pray for my friend Torri by thanking God for the cure that may come and the healing we know is already happening.

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