Glimmers of Grace

Dr. Kathryn Butler reflects on her experiences as a trauma surgeon in Glimmers of Grace.

Having walked alongside countless patients, colleagues, and friends through illness and loss, Dr. Butler wants to encourage believers through these difficult journeys by reminding them that God is always with them. Scripture repeatedly reminds us of God's steadfast love, grace, and mercy even in times of great affliction.

Do you find yourself in a spiritual wilderness at the moment? Take heart. As the great I am, God is holy, merciful, and ever-present. In the midst of despair, and when our fleshly bodies threaten to betray us, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who walks alongside us when we are weak and our hope is overshadowed by fear. Bulter reminds believers that God's goodness remains unaffected by afflictions and heavy loads when ailments send us into the medical world where antiseptics and protocols prevail.

Dr. Butler combines her experiences with exegesis of Scripture. There are three parts to this book. Firstly, how medical settings can challenge one's faith. Secondly, look at scripture to understand who God is. Finally, consider what God has done for us.

Concluding the introduction Butler encourages others to join her in remembering that in Christ, our awesome, loving God has sapped even death of its sting. When the heartbeat quickens and the monitor alarm sounds, God remains faithful, gracious, and merciful, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Things may fall apart. The waters will rise. You may grip a bridge railing and yearn for rescue. But in Christ, God's love will always buoy you through the storm, and through his word, glimmers of his grace will pierce the gloom. 

The following are some words contained within this book that I want to share with you. 

Chaplains Gibbons and Miller said, Hospitals are far more than biological garages where dysfunctional human parts are repaired or replaced. They are rather places where patients, and their loved ones, come face-to-face with their vulnerability, their finitude, and ultimately their mortality. As such, hospitals are places of anguishing ambiguity, Patients journey along a path with hope and healing ranged along one side, while terror and tragedy threaten on the other. 

In the second chapter, I Will Remember Your Wonders, Dr. Butler reminds fellow believers that, Remembrance offers more than wistful nostalgia, and means more than the rapid firings of synapses in our brains. The sacrament of bread and wine teaches us that remembering is worship. When we remember the gospel, we see God's grace at work, unfolding around us, enveloping us in love that burns away the darkness. 

Modern medicine IS a means of grace through which God demonstrates his mercy. It is only possible for medicine to approximate, but God perfects. We can rest in knowing that God, the one who planned the stars and the seas, knows what is right for us. Jeremiah 10:12-13 says, It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 

GOD PROVIDES and we see it throughout scripture:

When Adam and Eve sinned, God clothed them.
When man's wickedness was punished by a flood, God protected Noah and his family.
When wandering in the wilderness, God provided manna for the Israelites.
When Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, God closed the lions' mouths.
When Jonah disobeyed God by not traveling to Neneviah, God sent a fish to rescue Jonah
When we were dead to our sin, God provided his son, Jesus Christ to redeem us.
Death, for believers, is not the end. 

Who is God? 

He is our provider.
He is our Father.
He is our mana.
He is sufficient. 
He is grace.
He is mercy.
He is life and breath.
He is faithful.

In our humanness we sometimes ask and wonder:
How could God allow such suffering?
How could such a God be good?
How could a just God exist and tolerate evil?
Where is God in all of this?
Why didn't God intervene?
How could God allow evil to taint the world he created? 

Throughout scripture and time, men and women have asked and wondered these same questions.

Jesus, while hanging on the cross cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

The answer is SIN.

But God didn't leave us empty.
I Peter 2:24 says, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

So, Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Psalm 27:14 

And while we wait we feast on HIS WORD. Pray without ceasing. Cling to the one hope found in Christ Jesus. And finally, find joy amidst our trials. 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

This book is truly salve to the hurting heart. Dr. Butler's experiences and scriptural insight is a true testament to God's love and grace. 

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.