Challenges

God sure likes stretching us, doesn't he? But he also encourages us in it. Yesterday was a bit of an emotionally challenging day for me. First our church hosted the funeral of a young man shot on the west side a week ago. You can read about it here. Seeing the young man in his casket reminded me of when my boyfriend was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was 19. So, so sad, but I was thankful that the family had him for the number of years that they did.

The next challenge was going to the hospital last night to visit our friend from the west side (who lives on the same street as the shooting). He had shoulder surgery yesterday. The challenge for me is that I really struggle with seeing people with tubes and needles and stitches and all the other stuff that goes along with surgery. When I was a child, I would faint and have small seizures when I saw blood or anyone talked about 'gross' stuff. Greg promised we would only be there for 15 or so minutes and he kept his promise. It wasn't as hard as I thought, but it wasn't easy. They mentioned their son hated hospitals and wouldn't come to see him. Greg mentioned I also hated hospitals and they know that I love them because I came. They poured out so much love on me, saying they loved me too and thanked me so much for coming. We were all touched. God so encouraged me in that moment. I felt like visiting them mattered, it wasn't just a cordial act of 'I was supposed to' or 'we promised we would' or 'it's expected'. We prayed for them and as we left I wiped my sweaty hands on Greg's arm and he laughed. God is so good.

Greg and I had a conversation before going to the hospital. We talked about visiting people in the hospital who didn't want visitors. I have always believed that you should respect the wishes of those in the hospital but Greg gave me a different perspective. He said that it isn't all about them. He said that sometimes people in the hospital are on medication that doesn't make them think right, or that they become very inwardly focused and don't realize that there are friends and family that may actually need to go visit them, whether it is to say good-bye, or to make amends for things in the past. There are two sides to every relationship, and just because someone says they don't want to see anyone doesn't mean they don't need to see someone. They just don't know what kind of blessing may come their way as a result. Maybe eternal life? Maybe forgiveness? Maybe laughter and a smile? Maybe peace or a few moments of joy in the midst of fear? So, Greg's advice is, next time someone says they don't want to see anyone, don't let them control what you do. You can still go see them. More times than not, they will be happy you did.

May God encourage and bless you in the big and small things of this beautiful Wednesday!