The Detour – Part 3

“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness,” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficult ties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

Hey Gang:  This may sound a wee bit strange to you but the reason for this Detour has been clearly shown to my bride and me from the beginning when I could not get even water down through my esophagus and the saga of the ambulance ride and trip to the hospital began.  We have received encouragement daily from many places and have been truly blessed with mega prayers being sent to the Throne Room of heaven on our behalf.  And I say our behalf, because cancer is not a one-person issue.  It affects every person that is in the family and close to the family.   

On the trip to the hospital, I was blessed t have the son of one of our past employees, who as a baby my bride held in her arms.  What joy there was in hearing his excitement as he laid out a future that will be focused on the needs of others and how he might make their lives just a little better.   

I question, if there was ever a person who enjoyed their tenure in a hospital.  We certainly need to be thankful for the ministry of these facilities and the many lives that that saved.  But we also need to remember from where their wisdom comes.  As our doctor so truly spoke, “God who does the work and doctors get the fee!” but it is really?”

In our week tenure in the hospital, we were truly blessed to have a steady parade of medical staff pass through our lives.   We tend to forget that these folks have chosen a life of service and their true intent for being there was to make my life more comfortable.  But we also need to also remember they, too, have their crosses to bear and a smiling face and up-beat word can be like one of the transfusions they give to make life more comfortable.

God used our room as an oasis, a place where they could escape the pain and agony that they dealt with in their tenure on the floor.   We were truly blessed that most of those who passed through our lives in that week were believes in Yeshua.  As one young lassie said, I want to start my day in this room because it is filled with Light.

Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could.  Laying around in a hospital bed was nearly as bad as knowing what lay ahead for me in dealing with this foreign agent in my chest.  When they said go, they got no argument from me.  I was dressed in record time and standing at the door waiting for my transportation lady to come and wheel me to the outside door.

We have been blessed since coming home with visiting “angles of mercy” who come and make sure all if well.  And, in getting to know them is to hear their woes and give encouragement and even suggestions on how they can live their lives more effectively.

I tell you this, this morning, for you are my congregation.  I tell you this because each and every day you are alive you are given opportunities to be a tiny or even huge ray of Light and Hope for hurting people who have critical needs for light in their lives.   There is a saying that has been a guide in my years of working with hurting children:  ‘When I invest a tiny spark in the life of a child, I purchase a piece of immortality’. 

So, my challenge to you this morning, go out, seek opportunities to purchase a chunk of eternal immortality in the Kingdom.  And this I guarantee you will feel so much better inside!  There is no greater joy than to know we made life just a little better for someone who is hurting. 

Blessings,

Gramps