Jenny Hope

Psalm 71:9
9 Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

This weekend Morgan and I went to visit Rod's mom in the hospital. My daughter already has her mothers sanguine personality and she loves to socialize. She decided (at 21 months old) that she was going to be a candy striper at the hospital and go visit patients. Not really...but she walked down the halls and tried to go in the patients rooms. If you have a 2 yr old (or close to it) you understand how active they are and trying to contain them is near to impossible without you going crazy. She walked by this older lady's room and the woman began to scream out to me. In my head I was like "Morgan what did you just get us in to?" She was begging me to come into her room. So of course I went. Her face was disfigured and she was smelly and unkempt. I could barely make out what she was saying. She was crying for me to hold her. So I took her hand in mine and held her. Morgans hand was in my other hand and she just stood and stared. I wondered where her family was, what was wrong with her, what had her life been like? She was so desperate just to be touched. It broke my heart to think she was crying out just to be held. She was also suffering from a nasty infection so I called the nurse in to try to get her some help since she couldn't communicate very well.
I thought about how much I take for granted...the simple things like a hug. I also thought about all of the times when my heavenly Father has wrapped His loving arms around me to hold me and comfort me...to quiet me with His love. The nurses soon came in and due to all of the HIPPA laws I am sure they wondered what in the world I was doing in this womans room. I didn't get to talk to her about Jesus but I got to go in and hold this womans hand and give her the touch of Jesus. Sometimes it isn't our words but our actions. Then as I left I prayed Psalm 71:9 that the Lord would not cast me off when I am old; that He would not forsake me when my strength is gone. That is just like me to worry about how old I am and in what condition I will be in before He calls me home.
This made me think of all of the people that are in our daily paths that need even a touch. Let's open our eyes and pray for opportunities and not get too focused on "earthly things" that we can't see the simple needs around us. Also, I am about to speak to myself loudly here...Let's quit worrying about the germs that might be involved in getting our hands dirty to serve.