WHILE VISITING AT THE HOSPITAL . . .
a few years ago, I happened to come across a friend who was just checking in. I followed the patient and his wife upstairs to the assigned room and watched while one of the nurses helped get them situated. When pajamas and toothbrush had been unpacked and stored away, and the function of all the buttons on the bed had been described, the nurse turned to the patient and said, "If there is anything at all that you need, just let me know." Then pausing, she added, ". . . and I'll either get it for you, or show you how to get along without it."

How gracious, yet how honest, all at the same time! She was there to serve, to help, to minister. And she seemed to cheerfully accept that responsibility. But she also knew it was likely that a man who was in pain and anxiously awaiting surgery could easily make demands of her she couldn't comply with — not only because they might be beyond her ability to perform (such as the instantaneous relief of pain), but because he might request things that weren't in his own best interest (like the cancellation of certain uncomfortable tests or procedures that were necessary before the operation). She was letting him know up front that it was not her intent to comply with his every whim. However, if there was something that he saw as a genuine need that she couldn't satisfy, she wouldn't abandon him. She would be there to help him cope without whatever he thought he needed.

We have a God who, unlike the nurse, has the capacity to satisfy every desire. But He doesn't . . . and we often don't understand why. We whine, "God, if You love me, why don't You give me what I want? Why don't You take away the hurt? Why don't You make me feel better?"

And His answer often comes back, "I do love you! And because I love you, if there's anything at all that you need, I want you to let Me know; and I'll either get if for you, or show you how to get along without it." He answers graciously, yet honestly because He knows that we're prone to ask for things that aren't in our own best interests. And in those instances — because of His love — He refuses to grant our requests. However, He has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." He won't abandon us.

Whether we sense it or not, He comes even closer to show us how we can get along without what we think we need. He uses those situations as opportunities to build character in our lives and to teach us to trust Him even more.

Those aren't the kind of responses we like, from nurses or from God. We want what we want when we want it! But when our Creator (and humans who reflect His character) relate to us in those kinds of ways, we should be thankful to have someone around who really cares.

I wonder what would happen in church if members' responses to each other were always characterized by an attitude that expressed, "If there's anything at all that you need, just let me know; and I'll either get it for you, or help you get along without it"?

Serving Him with you,
Richard