A Little Help

icare! Right?  That’s basically our motto, correct?

 I love being there for someone when they thought no one was.  I love serving, leading, guiding, listening, supporting, teaching, encouraging, speaking life into someone’s life….condensed version….I love blessing others!

 It is such a joy for me to bless others, and I know you too, or you would not have decided to go through our CARE TRAINING, correct?

 So, what about when YOU need a blessing?

This past January…January 1st to be exact; my husband had to get me to the hospital and get me there quick!  Turned out I needed to have my gall bladder removed.  It was done that day, I returned home the next and back to work 2 days later.  “WOW!” I thought that wasn’t so bad. But, then later that night came and my husband had to rush me to the hospital AGAIN! Now my thought was “WHAT!”  “What is going on?”  The doctors ran several tests that night but could not find the answer.  With such a high white-blood cell count, numbness in my body, and concern that I may have an infection that could lead to sepsis, they immediately started treating me as if I did have an infection.  Five days later the nurse and doctor came into my room and told me they don’t have any explanation for what was going on but that they were pretty sure it was an infection since the treatment plan was working, we have done all we can, and oh, by the way, you are going home, today, in a couple hours. “WHEN!”  Don’t get me wrong, I wanted out of there real bad but I could not get out of bed without help, I could not walk on my own, I could not even sit up without extreme pain!  “What do you mean I am going home TODAY!”

My husband had already taken off several days to be with me in the hospital.  My son was trying to concentrate on finishing up school work to graduate high school, and my daughter had college classes she had to get to.  I was so BLESSED by what happened next, I cannot put into words how BLESSED I was.

Eleven precious individuals (Ruby, Dorothy, Nicole, Blanca, Gloria, Kathy, my Mom, my Dad and Dan, Sarah, and Christian) took blocks of time to hold me accountable by helping me get up to move around, make me do my breathing treatments, let me sleep, manage my meds, get me water and whatever else I could eat at the time and just spend time talking with one another.

It was truly humbling to receive this help.  And that’s not all.  Family after family brought us meals, the visits while in the hospital also meant a lot, and there were so many praying for me and my family, cuz let’s admit it, when one family member is in pain, everyone in the family is. Thank you family and my church family!

Why did I share all this with you, who are becoming Care Partners?  Because I believe each Care Partner needs to come into this ministry knowing there will be a most probable time when YOU will need to step back but not out!  You know as well as I do that no one is promised a trial-free life.  We are actually guaranteed we WILL have trials.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you faced trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  James 1:2-3

Notice the “whenever” is not “if”.  And can we get real…..did the writer of James really need to give us that happy reminder that there will be “many” kinds?  I do however love where it says “the testing of your faith develops perseverance”.  Thank you God!!!  Here we are seven months later and God is still developing me in many ways through that one trial.  The lessons and reminders I have received from God have definitely tested my faith, which in return has developed perseverance and many other character building qualities in me.

Know this…whenever you face a trial, we understand that you may need to step back from pouring into others and start receiving the help that is there for you.  You going through a trial does not necessarily mean you are no longer a Care Partner, or that you are not a good Care Partner.  That just means you are human.  The trial you go through may find that you yourself need a Care Partner.  And let me say this….A LITTLE HELP….is acceptable, respected, and encouraged!  I do believe we are told that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4). What these verses speak to me, is that if we can’t receive a little help sometimes, then we may not have it to give.  Hmmmmm???

So my encouragement to you is….

A LITTLE HELP…

take it when you need it…

and give it when you can!!!