I know there’s at least one of you looking at the title of this article with so much confusion. What could Grey’s Anatomy have possibly taught me about God? If you’ve ever seen Grey’s Anatomy, you’d know that there’s a lot of sex in the show, but there’s more substance to the medical drama that has captured hearts of millions around the world. In season 6 we’re introduced to a fresh faced farm girl named April. April was known for intelligence, but more so for her fierce relationship with God. I’m not going to lie; I didn’t love April at first because she let everyone take advantage of her. But, as the show progressed, I began to love April because she developed a backbone and found her place in the world. Sarah Drew has done a beautiful job of portraying a Christian in a world where Christianity isn’t included in major characters. For eight seasons, we’ve seen April and her faith remain unshaken, but this season we watch April break and her faith seemingly vanish. April and Jackson lost their son in season 11, but while shaken and hurt, April remained strong in her relationship with God. This season we see a young African American boy shot by local police because he was trying to get back into the apartment in which he lived. The boy had forgotten his keys and had to find a way to get back in. Police thought he was breaking in and they fatally shot him. April was on the case of this little boy, shot down in the prime of his life and she was angry. April wondered how God could allow this, how it was fair for this family to lose their son. The loss of Samuel, her marriage, and this child finally cracked April to the point of where she didn’t feel God’s presence; she felt alone. We watched as April drank, mistreated residents, and was just all around unpleasant to be around. April’s bad behavior continued until a Rabbi named Eli came into the ER to be treated. Eli had been given antibiotics for diverticulitis three times by Dr.Bailey and developed Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, which basically causes your skin to separate from your body. In one of the best scenes in Grey’s Anatomy history, Eli tells April that things happen and we don’t get to understand them. He talks about several instances in the Bible where people had horrendous things happen to them, but were told to trust in The Lord because he has a plan for us. Eli told April that you can live your life two ways; you can either be angry and think that the world is cruel and random, or you can choose to believe that God has a plan so amazing for us that we can’t even begin to imagine it. Like April, I have lost my faith along the way. I’ve lost friends, I’ve been hurt and I’ve been angry. I’ve been angry with them, with myself, and unfortunately even with God. I looked at what had happened to me and wondered how God could let this happen to us, his children. So, this goes out to April, thank you for showing me that I can pick myself up, wipe the tears away, and live my life.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11