A Time for Every Season - Pt 5

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (Ephesians 4:25 ESV).

In this fourth little lesson I learned the importance of reaching out to a friend or family member to help me. Sounds simple doesn’t it? I have been a caregiver for over fifty years to countless hundreds of people who have been in scores of crises. I’m not accustomed to asking for help with anything. That’s not the way of God. I was reminded of this truth in numerous ways in my recent stay at the hospital. I needed friends, family, and caregivers of all sorts. I was not as good at accomplishing this as I should have been, but the truth has stuck. Often the suddenness of a hospitalization leaves the patient disoriented and unable to think clearly about all the aspects of what’s going on. This was certainly true for me. Things began to expand quickly; multiple decisions needed to be made quickly. Questions needed to be asked, and my mind was not at full strength. I needed an advocate. My wife was there and full of good questions and answers for the doctors. My oldest son, who lives nearby was there to help technically as well. His experience and knowledge of me and medications in general was invaluable. No one can think of all the things we might need to know in order to understand what has happened, and to live wisely in the days to come. We need help to ask all the right questions. Because of the necessity of multiple layers of care and the need for clear information I found myself trying to keep up with these things. Seeing multiple doctors during the stay, it was imperative that I pay attention to what was being said and done. When one physician came in and decided that my problem was one of the equilibrium of my inner ear and wanted to prescribe another new medication for that, I needed to decline politely and as for patience to allow all the results from the tests to be completed. As it turned out, the problem was chemical not physical. New medications given to me the week before had produced the adverse results, not another blockage. I am thankful for the help of family to get the decisions made quickly and correctly. Additionally we need the spiritual support of prayer from others. One good friend texted me with a gentle admonition to let her and some of our other circle of friends know when crisis erupts in our lives “so they could pray.” That was a very wise reminder. We really should not be afraid to ask for help, and to give our friends permission to ask everything that comes to mind. “We are members one of another” (V. 25).