And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV
“My weakness, that is, my quadriplegia, is my greatest asset because it forces me into the arms of Christ every single morning when I get up.” Joni Eareckson Tada
“So, we ask you very humbly from our hearts, dear Holy Father in Heaven: Give us grace that we might pray to You aright.”
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2 ESV
I am grateful that this afternoon, we will have not one, but two new volunteers helping at our meeting in Sunshine Village. We originally began holding this outdoors, during the covid-19 situation, but the residents enjoyed it so much that we continue to meet once a month. Having these two precious ladies who have been eagerly helping out at various meetings over the last few months, I began reviewing what advice I could pass to help them when the going gets tough. Whether you are involved in nursing home ministry or not, you just might find that Paul’s words to Timothy could be a message for you as well.
“Preach the word” In nursing home ministry, we aren’t simply called to hold hands, push wheelchairs and encourage people to smile. Though we should be doing all of those things, the primary purpose of our calling is to share the message of the gospel. We have to remind ourselves that every doorway we are invited into, is God’s opportunity to reach someone with the hope of Jesus Christ. It is His calling, not the church, not our friends, not our family or the administration of the facility that will give us grace to go on through thick and thin. Be prepared for tears along with laughter, misunderstandings along with folks saying thank you, and making the most of our small place in a schedule filled with treatments, reports and weariness, that keeps our visits short.
“Be ready in season and out of season.” Jumping into nursing home ministry is different than volunteering at Sunday school, singing on the worship team or going on a mission trip. Those are all vital and often demanding places of service; but you will discover that in nursing home outreach you are going it alone most of the time. We cannot show videos at church of the faces of the people we serve. There won’t be smiling children performing Christmas pageants, while adoring parents watch. There will be no brief moment in the spotlight, as we close the service with a well-loved new song. Being prepared in and out of season, means being content that God has called us to serve, no matter who else knows.
“With Complete Patience” Might mean, putting aside disappointment, when nothing goes according to plan. Patience is smiling when you find out that half the people left to go to a movie and most of the other half will be late because they are finishing up at the ice cream social. Patience is realizing that someone you were looking forward to seeing is in the hospital, had a family member take them out for lunch or is still sleeping because the overworked staff didn’t have time to get them ready. Patience is begging for people to come sing Christmas carols, printing out the song sheets and making sure we get on the schedule months in advance. It is coming regularly till you are part of the furniture at the facility, making friends with people who might only live for a short time and then pouring it all out to God in prayer, when things don’t work out the way you hoped.
Yes, nursing home ministry is not rainbows and puppy dogs. You will never be a social media influencer, a local celebrity or a rock star. But if God has called and you say yes, then buckle your seat belts, because He has a depth of His love in Christ to show you and a peace that goes way beyond your understanding to give you. The small weariness, the few tears and the light difficulties that we share will be nothing compared to all that God has in store, and of which the old song tells us, “The half has never yet been told!”
Consider the ravens, they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds. Luke 12:24 ESV
It is interesting that Jesus chose ravens to illustrate God’s love and care for us. Ravens have no song, or beautiful plumage, and are not even useful for food. In fact, though a few complimentary phrases are used about birds, such as “soaring like an eagle, being compared to one our feather friends is rarely a compliment. After all, who wants to be told they have a “Bird brained idea, or are “as Crazy a Loon?” Even less do we wish to be told we are acting like “Silly Geese” or possibly worse, are, “Chicken Hearted.”
The list seems almost endless, as we recall how we felt when someone said we were, “Sticking our head in the sand, like an ostrich.” Or “Going the way of the Do-Do bird.” Yet, despite all the negative press, God not only cares about the birds, but He also feeds them.
What wonderful comfort and encouragement, when we are floundering around like Turkeys, it is to know that God cares covers us with His feathers and lifts us up on eagle wings, and that the one who watches sparrows, is watching over us!
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