The Kindness of a Man Named Jesus

"And remember, I am with you always..."
―Jesus, Matthew 28:20

A woman I know had to have a medical test done -- an MRI, which requires the patient to lie still inside a tube-like machine.  To say that the woman was anxious is probably an understatement.  She was both afraid of the test and of the results.

On the morning of the test, she arrived at the test center and was teary-eyed before she even entered the test room.  When she saw the machine, she became increasingly nervous.  There were two techs in the room, a woman and a man.  They put her in the machine, so that she could experience how it would be.  She asked to come out immediately and began crying.  Her whole body shook.  She had trouble calming down and the female tech told her that she should probably call her doctor, get some sedation and do the test on another day given how anxious she was.  The woman felt overwhelmed.  She was scared and sad and feeling badly that she might not be able to get the test done. 

Very gently, the male tech asked her whether she would try it one more time.  He said that they were in no rush.  He came up with a couple of ways that she would be more comfortable, including covering her eyes with a small towel, so that the woman would not know if she was inside the machine or out.  He kept his hand on her shoulder as they slid her inside the machine and then kept his hand on her head while she tried staying in it for a little bit.  He talked reassuringly to her while they tried it one more time.  The woman decided that she would do it. 

As she lay inside the tube, the woman counted seconds, she prayed, she tried mightily to think happy thoughts -- anything to stay calm.  She thought about family and friends she loved, she even thought about candy she liked...  At some point during the test, the woman remembered the male tech's name.  It was Jesus!  The thought struck her as funny, bizarre and awesome all at once.  She thought perhaps she had imagined it.  Still inside the machine, she asked the female tech, "Is his name really Jesus?"  Yes came the answer. 

The woman knew that she never would have been able to endure the test but for the kindness of a man named Jesus.

Later that day, the woman's doctor let her know that the test results were fine.  She took a deep breath and thanked God for the results, for her doctor and for Jesus.