Hospitals Suck

Why do we complain?

Today, I got the sad news that a friend of mine was heading back to the hospital. Not for himself, for a loved one. And not a loved one, in a way we love our friends who go in, but in the way of a mother or father, son or daughter. My friend knows this place as well as I did when my mom battled lupus years ago. Hospitals are cold.

I think back to my daily visits, the hours spent bed side. I think about the months my mom laid in ICU, in a medically induced coma. She never knew I was there, never knew the hours I spent just sitting next to her talking to her or reading next to her. Hoping. Praying. Crying. For the miracle that never came. I cried out to the God of Heaven, the creator who with a single breath can create new worlds, who's mere thought can craft light from darkness, who's single word could make my mother new again. I wanted our Lord and Savior to rip the roof off the hospital room, part the skies and send a ray of light so bright it could burn away the lupus from my mothers body, so she could walk out of that hospital and never return. That miracle never came. Instead, my mother lost her battle and went home to be with God. Even in writing this I can still feel the pinch, the hurt of her loss in my heart.

God has a funny way about him though. It took me sometime, but looking back on the last few weeks of life my mother had the things that feel into place, the people who came, the way she looked. That was the miracle. Family for no reason, showed up to just to be together, my mother said to me she felt the best she'd felt in ages that week. She looked like a million bucks to me. That was the miracle. We all, every cousin, every aunt, everyone from miles away had a chance to come and see my mom. The mom I knew before the lupus. Her time here was done and God called her home to her eternal reward. I learned a lot about God's love during that week.

My friend now is in a similar situation. His loved one faces an incurable disease that at any moment can claim the life of his beloved. Prior to getting the email about his situation, I was just complaining about a nagging situation I have and thinking about how nobody has it as bad as I do. I was almost like, "Really God! Really! Come on, haven't I had enough already". Then boom. Email. My friend is back in the hospital. Dealing with a situation 1000 times worse than mine. And I'm complaining. In retrospect, it's really not that big a deal. Yes, it is annoying to deal with, yes, it is no fun. But it's nothing I can't handle. Nothing, God can't help me with.

We complain so easily now. Our cell phone drops a call, we want a new cell phone company. How dare they drop MY call! Jerks! The internet doesn't connect fast enough, we want new internet service. If you think about it, your trying to connect your computer to another computer to another computer to another computer maybe spanning hundreds of miles in distance! Give it a minute! Heaven forbid YOUR time gets taken up for an extra 10 seconds. We have become so self involved, so self centered we forget what God calls us to be. Servants. To people. To show people love. To be kind, courteous, generous, LOVING!

If we would all take an extra moment of OUR time to be CHRIST to someone, we could change the world overnight. I truly believe that. Maybe tomorrow, as you go to work, or school or wherever your life leads you. Take a moment and ask God what He would have you do today. How you can be a reflection of who HE is in YOU.

And pray for my friend. His loved one can always use our prayers.

Carlos