My job routinely puts me in contact with persons who are not looking for me or my profession. It is on the rare occasion that I get people seeking appointments. Instead, it is often those who are being forced by their superiors as a 'last ditch,' or, what is even more common, a tragedy has taken over their life and I just so 'happen' to wonder into their path...or they into mine. Which is more true is precisely the point on this post. For as much as I can assume and surmise that people are not looking for me, I cannot say that I am always looking for them. It is not that I am avoiding people or those in need; in fact, it is quite the opposite. I hate my office and am always out on the streets and wards looking for opportunity to minister or come alongside someone else. However, even when out 'seeking,' I am never really seeking a particular person or situation, and in this, I can say that I am seek those who I encounter.
A great example of this miracle and mystery occurred recently while assigned to 'duty.' When on call as the 'duty,' my job is to respond to every and all requests at any and all hours of the week...not just day. As it happened during this recent stint, calls for my service always came when I was either asleep or with my family doing something far and removed from work. And, YES, while happy to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of others at any time, I can always say with certainty that whenever the phone request would come in, I was must definitely NOT looking for be pulled into work of service for others! I must confess that the ride into work is not the most holy of times in my life...
However, in every instance during my recent duty watch, the people I have had the opportunity to minister to have been remarkable! In each case, they were initially very hesitant to see me, and, in some cases, had no intentional use for me because I was not of their faith group or expectations. Yet, pushing care and desire aside, when left to only each other and the circumstances we found ourselves in, our need and what we had to offer could not have been more perfect or compensating.
The best example was an elderly woman who had just brought her husband of many years into the ER for emergency surgery in the middle of the night. He was very, very sick and non-responsive. She was alone and she had no one to comfort her. I was called in because there simply was no one else to call.
When I arrived, she was gone. None of the staff knew where she went and a search took place around the building via me and a few corpsmen. Eventually, we spotted her walker in the moonlight next to a bench out by the curb. She was smoking a cigarette, hunched over and talking on her cell phone. Never saying a word or trying to interrupt, I only joined her on the bench and waited. When she completed her call, she looked the other way and only acknowledged my presence with an apology for smoking. I told her I was a chaplain and was only here to take care of her. Dismissing my ministry instantaneously as 'not for her,' she told me how she was a former Christian and now practicing Buddhist because it was for her, after all, the only logical step. She was gracious in her explanation, but it was still innately rejecting. I responded with only, "Tell me your story. How did all of this come about?"
For the next hour she shared her life, her marriage, her family, and ultimately her journey through faith. At each point, I stayed with her and only listened. Sure, there were points where I wanted to correct of sound off from my experience or understanding, but I wasn't there for me, I was there for her. And the more I listened, the more she opened up, and the more her demeanor went from despair to hope. After two hours, it was like a lifetime had passed from the horror of bringing her husband to the ER and suffering alone to now sitting with me on a bench in the middle of the night.
But, guess who else had undergone a deep and lasting change? Me! I found myself not only happy to be with her, but longing for the conversation to continue on. As she shared her story, I not only connected with her experiences, but I found myself learning and observing the hand of God working through this encounter with her and into my soul and understanding. Being there for her, and not for me, changed everything. And when it finally came time for me to depart and for her to care for other matters related to her husband, guess who was all to eager to have me pray with her? And guess what else? All the preconceived ideas and prayers I thought I was going to pray went right out the window at that point. Through our unintentional intentional encounter, God showed up and revealed His will, ministry and peace to both of us.
Let us never assume that we are 'in charge,' 'complete,' or 'knowing' what it is we think we need. Instead, let us remain ever open to the Spirit, humble before His direction, and quite in His midst. A life led by the Spirit is always a life used and filled.
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