Life keeps throwing me curve balls. I imagine you feel the same way. Just when you think your life has settled down into some kind of expected, if boring, routine, something happens. An adult child calls with a crisis. A sister needs your help. A friend is hospitalized with a life-threatening disease. Whatever it is, it throws you and your life into a tizzy.
I've been there. Right now, I worry over a dear, longtime friend who is in the hospital with complications from cancer. My heart weeps for him and for his sweet family. I try to offer help, even while knowing that my efforts are puny against the need. What to do?
Prayer, of course. Every day. Many times a day. Is there something more, though, that I could do? My offer of "please call if you need anything" seems empty. And finally I got it. Make an offer of specific help. "Can I drive your son to work?" I asked the man's wife. That was met with a "yes."
How many times have I uttered the sincere but empty words, "Please call if you need anything?" Too many. And it shames me that I haven't thought through an individual or family's needs and tailored my offer with those in mind.
This I know for sure: empty words will most likely produce empty results.
My empty words are the result of empty ideas, which are probably the result of not listening carefully or asking the right questions. I am seriously lacking in these skills, and remain socially obtuse. I wish I could change this about myself overnight, but there must be something for me to learn in the process.
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