We Have a Counselor

^“I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor,
to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him;
you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.”
John 14:16-17 (RSV)

            My husband’s doctors told him he was not going to survive his latest illness.

            Despite their dire predictions, Jack did live, and he was gaining strength in rehabilitation when his doctor made an observation.

            “I think you’re a little depressed,” his doctor said. “I’m going to give you an antidepressant. Just a very small dosage.”

            Did Jack say,‘Okay’? I wondered in surprise when I heard him mumble.

            His doctor must have thought he’d heard Jack give his approval, for he ordered the nurses to start bringing the new medication. A couple of days later, however, when his doctor began to go over his meds again, Jack interrupted him.

            “What did you say?” he asked.

            “You know,” his doctor replied. “That’s the little antidepressant I asked you about. You agreed to take it.”

            “No, no, no, no, no, no!” Jack told him. “There’s been a mistake. I did not agree to take it, and I don’t want it. You can stop it right now!

            The doctor nodded. He could tell Jack was emphatic about not taking the pill.

            “You don’t understand,” Jack explained. “I have this friend, and when he lived on Earth, he told his disciples that in three days he was going to go away and that he wouldn’t see them anymore. But he was going to send them a counselor who would be with them forever. I don’t need antidepressants. I have a counselor!”

            Jack had been through so much. His body was still very weak, but I sobbed at the shear strength of his testimony.

            “I got it. I understand,” the doctor said quietly. “No more antidepressant!”

            Through many hard times in his life, my husband has claimed Christ’s promise to his disciples at their last supper before his crucifixion. Jesus kept his promise to them then as he does to us now: He has sent us another Counselor, His Holy Spirit, to will dwell with and in us forever.  Jane McDermott