stand in the room

Today I had to the opportunity to go to the hospital to hold a sweet toddler, EJ, who accidentally drank kerosene Monday night while playing at a neighbor’s house. He is doing better, but has had fever and breathing with wheezing, which he had before the accident. He’s being sent for x-rays today in the capitol, which is a great development because if there’s any fluid on his lungs, etc., they will hopefully be able to give him a more clear diagnosis. (I really believe the problem from the kerosene was minor and that this sickness is unrelated, as I held him in church Sunday and he had the same breathing issues.)

I was there when the doctor, whom I’ve heard stories of before as being rude and unkind to the patients, made his rounds. He was friendly, as were the nurses. I stood by as another IV was put into EJ, and was glad to see the treatment was tolerable.

I stayed, along with another member in our church, for a couple of hours to give EJ’s momma a break from holding him. He finally fell asleep after his fever went down, which was a relief.  Then we traveled to each bed to pray over the children and hear the stories of the families.  Stories that make your heart bleed.

Although I love doing this kind of compassion ministry, I don’t often participate because I have a seven year old who needs to be homeschooled. Today, however, I decided we were having a “mercy day,” and when I came home from the hospital I took the kids with me to the store to buy some snacks for EJ’s mom and the other parents and children in the pediatric ward (five families). We met up with Edwin and all went back together to make our delivery and were glad to hear from a smiling mom that EJ had been walking around.

Edwin had stopped by the hospital after his morning ministry at a school feeding program and heard some things no one expressed while I was around; namely, that they had all been treated so well while I was there.  They were of the opinion that the doctor would never have ordered the x-ray for EJ if the foreigner hadn’t been in the room.

I’ve been reading Micah over the last few days, contemplating the injustices that arose within Israel against the poor and helpless, against the weak and fatherless, against the oppressed and lonely.  And while I was initially indignant that these sick children and their hurting parents usually sit in a hot room without news from the doctor, waiting through long hours for some news or treatment from a nurse and finally the opinion of the doctor, only to receive treatment because a white woman is in the room, Edwin pointed out to me that sometimes our presence is the act of mercy these people need.

Sometimes we just need to stand up so that others can be seen and heard.  Like literally, just stand.  That’s all I did.  I stood in the room and held a baby.

Today I was aware that I was loving kindness, but I didn’t realize I was also, by being there, doing justice (Micah 6:8).  I was there.  That was all.

My challenge to you, reader, is, “Are you standing up?  Is your presence making a difference in someone’s life?”

You may look up, like I did today, and be humbled that God used you to enact justice even without your conscious effort.

Or you may look around you and realize, something needs to change.

With these words in my mind today I held a toddler so his mom would have a break:
“This One (Jesus) will be our peace” (Micah 5:5).  I prayed peace over baby, peace over momma, peace over the sick crying children in the room, peace over the weary and worried parents who accompanied them.

And because Peace is the Name of our Keeper, His other Namesakes came to the room too: Mercy, Humility, and Justice.

“But he has told you, O believer, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  -Micah 6:8