As we recover we will be called to show our support and concern for another human being. This can be shocking for someone like me who for years was not invited to weddings or notified about funerals. I missed births and birthdays without knowing what I was missing or caring.
Since I’ve been in recovery I’ve noticed a definite shift. I have attended funerals to support friends and family members although I didn’t know the deceased. I’ve visited patients in the hospital whose homes I never visited. More than once, I’ve been the emergency contact for someone I’m not related to and more than once someone has used their one phone call to call me.
Attending funerals and making hospital visits is just as difficult for me as for anyone. Like many, I don’t know what to say when someone has lost a loved one. I fumble for a panacea when tragedy strikes. Without knowing how to help, in fact, being sure I can’t help, I show up anyway.
These changes just occurred to me today while visiting my father in the emergency room following his third heart attack. He asked for me. My father is one of those who had little to do with me when I was still drinking. And now, he asked for me. He honored me by asking me to take him to the hospital when he was unable to do so on his own steam. For whatever reason, he knew I would come when he needed me. That wasn’t always true. Today, by the grace of God, I got dressed and found myself in the position to assist him with getting the care he needed.
I have felt overwhelmed and scared all day because according to his doctors, my father is not doing well at all. But because of the peace that passes understanding I have a blessed hope. In these difficult moments, I find God’s promises particularly precious. And I thank God that today, with His power, I can show up for another human being, even my dear father.
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