for many, life changing events happen and they involve a wait.
in the torah portion beshalach, the children of israel, having left egypt, are camped out by the red sea. the egyptian military sent to capture them have set up camp nearby as well. in that moment, a whole night would pass before the famous red sea parting.
this was the night of uncertainty at which the children of israel had much time ponder. would they be taken back to egypt to remain slaves? would they be killed? would they run into the water to be saved and drown in the sea?
the pertinent part of the portion goes: “[a]nd he came between the camp of egypt and the camp of israel, and there were the cloud and the darkness, and it illuminated the night, and one did not draw near the other all night long. and moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the lord led the sea with the strong east wind all night, and he made the sea into dry land and the waters split.”
in modern times, many experience a period of waiting during a life changing moment. an abnormal test result led me to consult with a urologist. the test was compared a prior one that was normal. the doctor and i discussed the need to “break the tie” as far as a diagnosis. a far more evasive test was done to assess whether there was cancer. a biopsy was taken and the results would take some time. the doctor opined it would be about two weeks.
two weeks of uncertainty began. thoughts of stopping everything came to mind. there were thoughts that life would never be the same. there were thoughts of what i would have to do if cancer was found.
this moment reminded me of the red sea moment. how did those people address their fear and uncertainty that night?
certainly, this was a moment of prayer. a moment to seek inner strength and not give into panic. during such a wait, one can have the wildest of thoughts.
building up one’s resolve to confront the results in a meaningful calm matter became the goal. i built myself up to be in the mindset to troubleshoot any bad information.
during that time, tom petty’s lyrics “waiting is the hardest part” was the anthem playing in my head.
in the end, the results of the extremely evasive tests were in. the test results were negative. while i was relieved, the emotionality and contemplation during that period was not lost upon me.
in sum, bible stories can capture a unique emotional moment comparable to the modern human experience. in this instance, it marked a time when one may want to seek to a higher power for strength, calm and resolve. it marked a brief moment in time when faith was perhaps the only thing to embrace. hoping for both the strength to get work through the bad as well as a good result is certainly a trying moment in time.
be well!!
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