Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. Proverbs 25:11
At the age of thirteen I was diagnosed with appendicitis. Being old enough to understand that the alternative to surgery was worse than its unpleasantness, I faced the operation with a bravery commensurate to that of a newly minted teenager.
The morning after the surgery was my low-point. The effects of the anesthesia had worn off, replaced by an unsettling pain. Suddenly, I had to sneeze, which I found highly traumatic after abdominal surgery. Upon sneezing I fell apart—hyperventilating and crying.
A passing nurse saw my distress. Immediately she entered the room, clasped my right hand between both of hers, and began to speak soothing words to me. All the while I thought to myself, “She is trained to do this. Nevertheless, I accept her training because I need it.” Indeed, I did. It took perhaps ninety seconds for me to calm down.
“Are you all right now?” she asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
She returned to her rounds. I never saw her again. She likely soon forgot about me, but I have never forgotten her.
Four years later my dog was hit by a car in front of our house. She lay on the street, turned away from me, yelping pathetically as I ran to her aid. Remembering the nurse, I tenderly placed my right hand upon her. Immediately her yelping ceased. She knew my touch.
My father and I picked her up, put her in our station wagon, and drove to a veterinary clinic. While my father drove, I spoke tender words and kept my hand on our dog, whom I could tell was going into shock. Long story short—she recovered.
One year later I got a job washing dishes at a restaurant where I learned about hard work. Early into the job, I was informed that I needed a food-handlers permit—which required a blood draw. I made an appointment and awaited the dread day.
On the appointed day I arrived at the office, feeling like a man going to his execution. I had to do business with a woman behind a window before “the execution” could take place. I did the necessary business and then spoke, seeking some reassurance. “I don’t look forward to this.”
Her disdainful response was hardly reassuring. “Haven’t you ever had a blood sample drawn before?”
“Mr. Ward?” called another woman a few minutes later. I arose and trudged with leaden steps to the execution room.
A few minutes later I returned to the lobby, miraculously alive, but on the verge of fainting. I had to do more business with the lady behind the window. Somehow, I got through it, all the while dealing with her scornful look. Upon leaving the office, I got into my car and put my head down on the steering wheel. It took five minutes before I felt ready to drive home.
What do we get from these three short snippets from my life? Sometimes we need encouragement and tender human touch. Sometimes others around us need the same. I would have done far better at the doctor’s office, had the woman behind the glass given me some comfort. But then I wonder how many times I have done to others, just as she did to me? May we be humble enough to receive comfort when we are in need. May we be sensitive enough to give comfort when others are in need.
And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. Luke 6:31
