Optimism and Hope are Fraternal Twins

A well-known proponent of prayer, the late Catherine Marshall, revealed, “My most spectacular answers to prayers have come when I was so helpless, so out of control, as to be able to do nothing at all for myself.” My friend Claudia has a life-altering brain tumor that irregularly manifests severe symptoms. After a particularly bad bout of vertigo, she had an appointment with a new woman doctor who turned out to be an unusually open and expansive physician. “We’d been chewing the fat for a few minutes,” Claudia said, “when this doc says, ‘Ever since you came in the office I’ve been wanting to tell you that you are surrounded by angels and they want me to tell you that you need to ask them for help. They need to be asked before they can do anything for you.’

”With a laugh, Claudia said, “Well, having a doctor tell me to ask my angels for help really got my attention!” Thankful for her angels’ message, but still headachey and reeling with vertigo, Claudia went to bed singing the old hymn, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine…” as a gift for her angels.

Excerpted from How to Stay Upbeat in a Beat Down World by Sue Patton Thoele. Available on Amazon.