adapted from "When We Hurt" by Philip Yancey, pp. 97, 98
Early in his career, Dr. Paul Brand heard a lecture from the anthropologist Margaret Mead. “What would you say is the earliest sign of civilization?” she asked, naming a few options. “A clay pot? Tools made of iron? The first domesticated plants?” “These are all early signs,” she continued, “but here is what I believe to be evidence of the earliest true civilization.” High above her head she held a human femur, the largest bone in the leg, and pointed to a grossly thickened area where the bone had been fractured, and then solidly healed. “Such signs of healing are never found among the remains of the earliest, fiercest societies. In their skeletons we find clues of violence: a rib pierced by an arrow, a skull crushed by a club. But this healed bone shows that someone must have cared for the injured person – hunted on his behalf, brought him food, served him at personal sacrifice.” With Margaret Mead, I believe that this quality of shared pain is central to what it means to be a human being.
Ministering to the loneliness of a suffering person requires no professional expertise. When I have asked, “Who helped you the most?” usually patients describe a quiet, unassuming person: someone who was there whenever needed, who listened more than talked, who didn’t keep glancing down at a watch, who hugged and touched and cried. One woman, a cancer patient, mentioned her grandmother, a rather shy lady who had nothing to offer but time. She simply sat in a chair and knitted while her granddaughter slept, and made herself available to talk, or fetch a glass of water, or make a phone call. “She was the only person there on my terms,” said the granddaughter. “When I woke up frightened, it would reassure me just to see her there.”
We can never over estimate the value of our small acts of kindnesses done in the name of Christ. They often have a physical healing value in the life of the recipient and, more importantly, there is a spiritual impact that is of eternal value. – RLE
THINGS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN .....
STAFF LEADERSHIP: "Seven Signs of Hope for the Church in 2011" by Dr. Thom Rainer -http://bit.ly/fzKtwB
SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: "SS in HD" Conference, FBC/Woodstock, March 10 & 11 - http://www.sundayschoolinhd.org/
DISCIPLESHIP LEADERSHIP: "Experiencing God Leadership Summit", Ridgecrest, NC, March 17 & 18, 18 & 19 - http://www.lifeway.com/event/426/?CID=RDR-EGLeadershipSummit
FOR YOUNG ADULT LEADERSHIP: Threads "NOW" Conference: Challenging & Equipping Young Adults to Live Missionally, April 15-17, Nashville, TN - http://threadsmedia.com/now
FOR YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY: "Secret Church" simulcast with David Platt, April 22 - http://www.lifeway.com/article/170629/
FOR WOMEN'S MINISTRY: "Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask" by Angela Thomas - http://www.lifeway.com/product/005342721/
