Supporting the Weak
“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35)
This week, I observed one of the most amazing and emotional moments in the life of a family in our church who have been fighting through some very serious medical challenges. I can’t even write about this without being blinded by my own tears.
While the family has publicly shared their journey on Facebook, I do not want to violate their privacy, so I will not go into too many details. Still, I would like to talk about the compassion and care I observed from the entire medical staff as this courageous young woman was being transported to a hospital in Charlotte for a higher level of care.
They lined both sides of the winding hallways, clapping for her and hugging the family as they wheeled her to the elevator for transport. These people were in the ditch with this family every day and every night. They were fighting with her…almost willing her to live.
Working in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a difficult job because many of the patients don’t make it. When you do this job for a long time, there is a tendency to put a wall up around your heart to protect yourself from the pain of losing a patient. Doctors and nurses can become sterile and unemotional in their connection with patients and their families. When you see people die all the time, that is totally understandable.
That is not what this group of medical professionals showed us in this send-off. In the families’ own words, these people consistently showed how much they cared by asking how she was doing when they saw family in the cafeteria, coffee shop, or anywhere in the hospital. They saw that she was a fighter, and they were in her corner fighting with her.
We all need that kind of tenderhearted, compassionate care when we are going through difficult times. We need people who will hold up our hands when they get heavy, as Aaron and Hur did for Moses.
“But Moses’ hands [became] heavy; so they took a stone and put [it] under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” (Exodus 17:12)
We need people who will genuinely ask about how we are doing because they care, not because that is how they always start a superficial conversation. We need people who will us to keep fighting, taking the next step, and keep moving forward.
We need people who wrap their arms around us when we receive difficult news and hold us as we shed our tears. We need people who will join the fight with us.
Will we “labor” to support the weak in this way? Thank you to the staff at Lancaster General for your wonderful display of compassion in action. Well done.
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I [was] naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’” (Matthew 25:34–36)
