If you read my last blog, you’ll know that hospital work is way out of my comfort zone. Well, God likes to break us out of those comfort zones so we can grow in ways we would’ve never chosen without His direction.
This past Monday the preschool I usually work at was closed, so I proceeded to head over to the AIC Kijabe Hospital. Performing arts major, Holly, brought her ukulele, and J.M., Jenna and I accompanied in song. We went from room to room, trying to bring a little joy to tough situations. A favorite was “Party In the USA”-how ironic. One of the rooms we sang this song to had a happy 10 month old girl named Bessie as a patient. She had pneumonia and a tumor on her stomach, but still loved smiling with all four of her little teeth. In that same room was an woman who had about the same number of teeth as Bessie but was about 80 times her age. As soon as we sang Party In the USA, though, this elderly woman came alive! When we waved our hands in the air, she waved her hands in the air; when we sang, she (attempted to) sang. Her big smile never faded, despite the fact that she was caring for a sick family member under the age of five.
My comfort zone really went out the window when I saw a little girl start to vomit, and when I heard a week old baby cough so hard the nurse had to be called in, and when I watched a 5 day old baby cry its little heart out because he had to have an empty stomach before surgery-yep, surgery. One thing I saw in common with all these heartbreaking cases was the love of a parent, The mother held the bowl for the baby to vomit, then soothingly rubbed her back afterwards and cleaned up her mouth. The mom who couldn’t feed her baby before surgery just held and rocked her crying baby no matter how loud he got or how long he cried. I saw a father swinging outside with his son on his lap, looking lovingly into his eyes. The father then picked his son up into his arms, carried him into the hospital, and gently laid the son down into the bed, making sure he was comfortable.
It was out of my comfort zone to see children so young in so much pain, but I soon realized these parents weren’t worried about “comfort zones”-they loved their children too much to make that an issue. I want to be so in love with my God that comfort zones will never be an issue. Yes, Kenya is a big step in that direction, but there’s so much more now that I’m here.
Jesus is the only constant, the only One I trust my life with and put my hope in.
Lord, do what You want with my life-please take it and mold it to be according to Your will.
I love You and want to love You so much more each day, because You love me so much that comfort zones will never exist in Your book.
Continue to put me in situations of eye-opening growth.
Most of all, bless these precious children and the parents whose love never ceases…
Your love never ceases.
