How do we respond?

I look forward to writing this column. My goal is to highlight a service we offer or introduce some positive thought. I also want to communicate how thankful we are for our great customers. I hope you know how much we appreciate you!

This week I sit down to write my column with kind of a heavy heart. I recently lost an old friend who had suffered from Alzheimers and know several others who are dealing with severe health problems. My heart goes out to the family who lost this loved one. I’ve been blessed in that I’ve lived 52 years and have not lost a member of my immediate family. Losing a family
member has got to be a bitter pill to swallow. It’s just so permanent. Fortunately, these folks are all believers, so they have the promise of seeing their loved one again. But they still have that sense of loss that penetrates to the center of their being.

I’ve come to understand that death is not the only thing that produces that sense of loss. These folks that I know who are dealing with debilitating illness are experiencing their own grief over losing the life they used to live. Men that were once strong, active, and vibrant are now extremely limited to what they can do. In some of their situations, just getting out of the house is a challenge. Their life is radically different from what it was just a few months ago. Did they see it coming? No. Were they prepared for their world to be rocked? No. But they are living on, doing they best they can…

I’m sure you can relate to these situations and have your own acquaintances dealing with similar issues. So here’s the question…How do we respond? I’ve spent some time thinking about my response and here’s my roadmap.

#1. Appreciate my health and my family. God has greatly blessed me with a sound body and a great family. I regularly take both of them for granted. I need to daily thank God for the blessings He so freely gives to me. Life and health are fragile. We need to ackowledge that fragility and give those gifts the reverence and respect they deserve.

#2. Love the afflicted. God’s charge to us is not that complicated. Jesus said that all the teachings could be boiled down to loving God and loving our neighbor. When we know others who are dealing with loss, we have a choice. We can say “good thing it’s them rather than me” and “there but by the grace of God go I”. Or we can seek God’s direction as to the way He would have us minister to them. Love in the original language can be defined “to do what is best for”. My goal is to try to be available to “do what is best for” those that I know who are dealing with loss.

Sorry that there are no original thoughts here, but maybe these musings will have an impact. Perhaps another expression of gratitude or another expression of love will be motivated by these words. May God bless you and yours!