What Difference Does a Hamburger Make?

My oncology nurse friend is all about bringing sunshine into the world. What a joy it must be for her patients who face a riveting cancer diagnosis. Her bright light intersects their darkness with hope. In addition to her nursing job, she is also a volunteer at a charitable organization that is truly a "back-up resource" for families who have a loved one dealing with cancer, and if that's not enough.....she goes to hospice facilities to cheer up the families and their loved ones. I couldn't resist sharing the following story with you. It touched me so much.

Jodi was headed to a hospice facility to visit a patient there. As she approached the facility, a 93-year-old man was sitting on the porch. She greeted him with “How are you doing today?” He responded, "Good -- and I'm working on the pretty!" She remarked that he was a delight and just had to sit down and visit with him a while. They carried on a long conversation and he mentioned “I’d love a hamburger.” She didn’t hesitate to say: “I’ll be right back” and went to get that burger for him. There wasn't a question about whether it was good for him or not -- she knew her attention to him WAS good for him. She came back with the hamburger and a strawberry shake. The dear man had a chair pulled up right next to him for Jodi to sit by him. Jodi said he ate every bite and drank all the shake. She spent over two hours with him. Jodi was beaming as she told me this story. The dear man passed away a few days later.

What makes someone go the extra mile to bring a ray of sunshine into someone's life? Especially when that someone is close to leaving this world anyway. What difference does it make? Here's the difference: Jodi was serving a sweet man that was getting ready to leave this world. I told her she was his midwife -- giving him a sweet, comfortable and beautiful time as he was transitioning to "going home". But, more than the sacrifice of her time for this sweet man, this was about Jodi. She was so grateful for those two hours.

Helping others makes us see what we have.....and makes us even more grateful for it. Helping others makes us happy. There is so much joy in giving. She was grateful. When we help others, it makes us see what we have and makes us more thankful for it. Jodi's acts of kindness are seed planting times. She is already enjoying the harvest of her acts as she experiences such overflowing joy and happiness. “Give….and it shall be given back to you!” Luke 6:38

What difference does it make? Maybe our solution to complacency, boredom, loneliness and sadness is to find some-one or some-place where we can make a difference in someone's life today. It just might be the last act of kindness they will receive, but it will be an act of kindness that will change us FOREVER.

What Does Favor Look Like? ·

FAVOR -- approval, an act of kindness beyond what is usual; good deed, act of kindness, courtesy, honor, gratify,

Ever heard these words "Will you do me a FAVOR?" More than likely they're asking for an act of kindness. Then there's the party FAVOR -- a small gift given to the guests at a party as a gesture of thanks for their attendance or a memento of the occasion. More than any other FAVOR, that I seek on a daily basis, is the FAVOR of GOD aka THE FOG! We pray for God's favor in both good times and bad -- that we'd sense the reality that we're one of God's children, one of God's favorites, and wait expectantly for what God will do for us.

On this "mission" that Karen and I have been on -- we have sought God's FAVOR for the timing and the wisdom on advertising, organizing, among the zillions of other "have to's" to put on an estate sale for our dear Mother. Right from the get go, we were awakened to a sense of divine expectation. Though God always works in our lives in countless ways, revealing so many wonders -- there's just something about living each day with holy anticipation.

Praying for God's FAVOR instead of wishful thinking has certainly made way for His favor over the last two days. We expected to have a 3-day sale but our first day exceeded our greatest expectations and then yesterday, Day 2 -- which seemed would be rained out, only proved that rain doesn't matter to diehard Estate Sale goers. A prayer marked by faith is never about what happens on our terms or timelines, but God's. We prayed throughout the preparation of this sale for the Favor of God. And we found God's wisdom AND favor -- His goodness and mercy not just following us, but chasing us down.

For just the ideal person to stop by that needed that one item we had. Or the one little item that completed a set of something or that school teacher going through the Oklahoma Teacher's Strike that found exactly what she wanted for her children, or the next door neighbor who had her five grandchildren this weekend -- and what a great place to take each one, individually, to the sale and give them $5 each to buy what they wanted, or the lady who just HAD to have a freezer quickly, and our ad popped up. Or the Mom and daughter whose washer & dryer were beyond repairs and ours was priced right for them. Or the couple who was in for the Gun Show that just happened to see our signs and stopped by, only to find items they had been looking for.

Really? God's goodness and mercy are following us? His FAVOR is chasing us? Isn't that just like our Heavenly Father -- pursuing us and chasing us with His desire to bless us and do good things for us? It's not just enough to be followed by His goodness and mercy. No, He is relentless in pursuing us -- every single day, and He wants to catch us. So, let's look for Him. We'll surely find Him as we notice those times when God's goodness and mercy catch up with us. Let's slow down enough today.....so goodness, mercy and God's favor can catch us.....and never let us go!

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11

Kindness and a Glass of Milk

Day 275 of Photo Inspirations – Kindness and a Glass of Milk
My son sent this email to me yesterday – it was an email he received from his Dad 10 years ago – and it sure bears repeating today.  Kindness to others can sure go a long way.
 
From: "Ronald J. Wuerch"
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 at 10:30 AM
Subject:   Do An Act of Kindness Each Day

You never know how important the good deed done by you today is connected to the answer in your tomorrow.  The little things matter greatly in God’s sight.  Let’s plant kindness today and impact our future.  Smile, God’s watching.
Dad

A GLASS OF MILK
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.  Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"   You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."   He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."   As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years later, that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.   Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.  Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.  He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to her case.  After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ... "Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You,
God, that Your love has spread broadly through human hearts and hands."

Dr. Howard Kelly (1858-1943) was a distinguished physician who was one of the four founding doctors of John Hopkins, the first medical research university in the U.S. and arguably one of the finest hospitals anywhere. In 1895 he established the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at that school. Over the course of his career, he advanced the sciences of gynecology and surgery, both as a teacher and as a practitioner.

There's a saying which goes something like this:   Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time.  If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place... and, after all, isn't that what life is all about?