How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. The Lord will protect him and keep him alive, and he shall be called blessed upon the earth; and do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; in his illness, You restore him to health. Psalm 41:1-3
Last week I stayed at the Holiday Inn at Cleveland Clinic while I was seeing doctors and having tests done. (You can read more about that in last week’s post here.) While I have stayed in many hotels with varying levels of service, I’ve not been in one like this before and I really didn’t notice how different it was for at least a day. As I was sitting at dinner in the café on the second evening, I noticed that the din which typically surrounds the restaurant and bar areas was missing. In fact, it was rather quiet. I also noticed that there were more families taking the time to thank God for their food. It then occurred to me that the vast majority, if not all, of the patrons were either ill, caregivers or some combination of the two. As I sat there taking this in, I further realized that the staff was different as well as they were more engaged that I’m used to. With this realization came an awareness, an opportunity and a blessing.
How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. Psalm 41:1
I believe that the schedules we endure to meet our commitments to family, work, friends, hobbies, etc. combined with the way we move about the country for various reasons has caused us to lose our sense of community…even within the church. It’s not so much that we don’t care about others, but rather we are so busy and detached that we either fail to notice those hurting or we feel our lives are too complicated to get involved. I’m not saying this is always the case, but it is more common than in the past. However, God’s word reminds us that we need to make the effort to take notice of the needs of others and help as we are called to do so. Personally, my illness has certainly raised my awareness with respect to those who are ill. As I began to adapt to my new normal and as God was at work teaching me how to reconcile my faith with my difficult experiences, my compassion for those hurting began to increase and has become a passion. That said, it has remained limited primarily to those with whom I have some connection as I’ve likely let my introverted personality keep me from interacting with those I don’t know. However, as I sat in that restaurant becoming more and more aware of the great need around me, I felt that call of my Lord to make more of an effort in the future to look for and acknowledge the needs of those outside my social circles.
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Philippians 2:1-3
As we deal with our own trials, it is easy to become overwhelmed or self-absorbed. However, when God makes us aware of a need, it is regularly followed by a call to action through the work of the Holy Spirit no matter what our circumstances may be. Whether we are urged to pray, provide, serve, connect, intervene or some combination of actions, we can’t ignore the opportunity to address the need with compassion. Having become aware of the vast need around me last week, I began to pray for the clusters of people surrounding me. I also began to silently pray for those I met in the hallways and elevators…those with visible infirmities as well as those with stressful facial expressions. (When we choose to become aware, we can often recognize the invisible weight on people.) Finally, God called me out of my introversion to engage. In most cases it was asking how people were doing. In one case it went a bit further. I had passed a lady in the hall on my floor several times. I then saw her in the fitness center and began to ask God if I should engage and, if so, how…but then she disappeared. A little while later, I ran into her in the laundry room and a conversation started. I learned that her name was Lizzy and that she was from Peru. She was there with her sister and her parents to help care for her mother. In all likelihood, she will be there for roughly three months total. That conversation opened the door to several conversations about illness, life and faith over the next 36 hours as we ran into each other. Had I kept to myself (which is my norm) focusing on my own needs, I would have missed an opportunity to offer encouragement and compassion.
The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; in his illness, You restore him to health. Psalm 41:3
The first blessing that came my way was the heightened awareness of the needs around me. This is true not only for my time in Cleveland, but also at home or wherever life takes me as I observe and interact with others. The second blessing continues to be the opportunities God provides to act as His means of grace in the lives of others. Finally, I was also blessed by God’s goodness and faithfulness as he provided for me as well. Life circumstances dictated that I make this trip alone and there were a couple of rough days. In that need God provided staff members at both the hotel and the Clinic that engaged, showed concern and provided assistance as my needs came to light including one hotel employee invoking God’s blessing on me. My Father truly “sustained me on my sickbed” as I recuperated from the tests and heightened activity. While I believe that God is certainly able, it is unlikely that I will be restored to health in this lifetime. In that regard I happily look to the promises of Heaven. That said, He did restore me to my “normal” level of strength which allowed me to drive home safely. For these blessings to me, I am truly grateful.
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12
Part of our perseverance during trials is allowing God to redeem our hardships and our pain by using them to make us aware of the needs of others. Further, we are truly persevering when we yield to the Spirit’s urge make use of the opportunities our suffering provides to reach out in compassion to others in large and small ways. When we obey God’s call to do so, we show Christ to others, build up the body of Christ, are sustained, recognize our value before God and allow our Lord to redeem our pain. In all of these, God’s goodness is revealed to us through various blessings as He sustains us and meets our own needs.
If you are already doing these things, as I know many are, praise God. If you have slipped because your circumstances have overwhelmed you, consider getting back in the habit remembering that even the prayers of the righteous accomplish much. Finally, if this concept is new to you, seek the direction of the Holy Spirit and make an effort to be aware of the needs of others. When we do, God promises blessings in both this life and the one to come.