Monthly Archives: July 2019

I stopped into visit my neighbor in the hospital yesterday. Two weeks ago Rick fell off a ladder and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Now his days are spent doing rehab and trying to learn how to cope with this new reality. He’s got a long road ahead.

To be honest, it was awkward visiting him. I’m pretty good at putting words down on paper, but face-to-face I’m often left tongue-tied, not sure what to say. After all, what do you say to a man who has just found out he’ll never walk again, a person with such an independent spirit, who for the rest of his life will be dependent on others? Words would just ring hollow at a time like this.

Thinking about this, I remembered the story of Job. Few men have had to go through what Job did, but at least he still had friends who cared. The Bible says when Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar saw Job’s suffering, “they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” (Job 2:13 NIV).

Up till this point Job’s 3 friends were doing great. They were there for him and I’m sure he found comfort in their presence. That’s what he needed most, just knowing someone cared, to have someone to listen to his complaints and share his pain. Unfortunately, his friends couldn’t leave well enough alone and had to go and open their mouths. In the end, instead of bringing comfort, they only made Job more miserable.

At my Dad’s memorial service what helped me the most were not the kind words or the whispered condolences. Though well-meaning, words, at a time like that, are inadequate. What made the difference for me that day were the friends who traveled many miles just to be there for us, friends like Tom and Linda Blackbird, Dave and Debbie Foote, Bill and Annette Boyd, Jane and David Branum, Rick Ballweber, and so many more. Just having these dear friends nearby meant the world to me. Thank you all!

Ecclesiastes 3:7 reminds us, there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak…” Right now, my neighbor doesn’t need my words, my reassurances God will work everything out for good. A time for that may come, but what he needs at this moment is a friend, someone to just be there for him, someone to listen and care. Right now words will just get in the way.

This morning, if you have a friend who is hurting, remember, sometimes silence speaks louder than words. Just be there for them. They don’t need your words right now. They just need you.

God bless and have a wonderful Sabbath!

It only takes a moment to change a life forever.

Last Sabbath afternoon, as I was preparing for some “lay activities” (better known as a nap), I heard a frantic knocking at our door. It was one of our neighbors letting us know our other neighbor had just fallen out of a tree.

Rushing across the lawn, I saw our friend lying on the road next to a tree he’d been cutting a limb off of. He was gray and I thought at first he was dead. However, when I knelt by his side he looked up at me and whispered those words every first responder hates to hear, “I can’t feel my legs.”

Hours later, after many x-rays and a CT, our friend and his family received the dreaded news – his spinal cord was damaged beyond repair. In a moment, he went from an active retiree to a paraplegic, his life changed forever.

These last couple months have been a wake up call for me. First Dad’s unexpected death, then my birthday, and now my neighbor’s tragic accident, have made me realize life is fragile. For each of us, it only takes a moment to change our lives forever.

This could be a depressing thought. After all, who wants to think of their mortality? We’d all like to think we have plenty of time to get it right, but, as Jim Croce sang, “…there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them…”. No wonder Paul warned us in Colossians 4:5 to “make the most of every opportunity.”

There is good news, however. Instead of wasting time letting the limitations of our time on this earth get us depressed, we can in a moment change our lives forever. Acts 16:31 promises if you “believe in the Lord Jesus…you will be saved…”.

This Sabbath don’t waste another moment. Don’t wait for a better time or till you feel more worthy to give your life to Jesus. Don’t put it off till tomorrow, because, the truth is, tomorrow may never come. Right now, before you finish reading this post, “believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”

Give Jesus your heart today. Remember, it only takes a moment to change your life forever! This is your moment. This is your opportunity. Make the most of it!

Have a Happy Sabbath!

Recently, while working in the Walk-in Clinic, I met a lady having significant depression and anxiety. She was dealing with some difficult circumstances, the kind no one should have to deal with, especially one after another. Overwhelmed by all she was going through, she was struggling to cope, pleading for help.

I did what I could. I listened, offered some words of advice, talked about diet and exercise, and prescribed some medication to temper the mood swings and got her connected with a mental health counselor. Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can do in a 10 minute visit and I left the exam room, feeling a little depressed myself, feeling like I hadn’t done much for her and wishing I could do more.

Later that day, the nurse who discharged the lady came to me to let me know the patient had expressed over and over how much I had helped her, that my listening to her and showing her kindness had really made a difference.

I was shocked (and a little embarrassed). Where I thought I had woefully failed I’d actually made a difference. God had used my feeble efforts to help this lady start to turn her life around. He also taught me a lesson. Little things can make a big difference.

With all the broken lives each of us meets each day, the bleeding hearts, and wounded spirits, it can be overwhelming. How can anything we even put a dent in the heartache all around us?

There is only one way – one little thing at a time. A listening ear, a kind word, and little smile, may be just what that person needs at that moment in time. And, just as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, He can take our feeble efforts and turn them into something amazing, the full consequences of which we may never know this side of eternity.

The truth is little things matter. Our efforts may not seem like much at the time, but it only takes a little yeast to leaven a batch of dough and sometimes it takes just a little kindness to help a heart to heal.

The important thing is for us to just be there, ready to listen, eager to help, liberal with our love, ready to “carry each other’s burdens…’” (Galatians 6:2). We don’t need to worry about the effectiveness of our actions. That’s in God’s hands. We just need to do what we can and let Him take care of the rest.

Today, let’s “Be kind and compassionate to one another…” (Ephesians 4:32), “Be devoted to one another in love.” (Romans 12:10), and spread a little kindness everywhere we go. Who knows, together we just may change the world, one little thing at a time.

God bless and have a Happy Sabbath!