This morning I had taken my wife to the hospital for her chemo treatment. As usual, all of the nurses in this area were very busy.

They were all taking care of patients, so we sat down to wait.  As we were sitting there, we noticed two men, one older and one younger, step tentatively into the treatment area.  They didn’t seem to know where to go. The younger man became more and more agitated.  He then began speaking in a loud, upset voice about having to wait so long for his father to have his blood drawn. When he said that, I knew for sure they had come to the wrong department.

I could see that the nurses were not pleased that the young man had decided to voice his complaint when they were already so busy, so they did their best to ignore him. However, I knew the area he was looking for. I didn't want this man’s behavior to become a problem for the nurses, or for my wife and others who were receiving treatment. For me, this was an opportunity to put into practice a phrase I’d read in the Word of Life for March:  “. . .  to put ourselves at the service of the others rather than to think only of ourselves.”

In this situation, I could put into effect the “words of everlasting life” that Jesus gave us.  I jumped up and told the nurse I would take the man to the proper area so his father could be taken care of.  Then, I stepped over to the young man, put my hand on his arm in a friendly manner and asked him to come with me, so I could help him get the process started. We were able to avoid a tense situation, but even more I could see that he appreciated my help. That small act allowed me to love by putting the gospel into life.

D.M.