Reassured

“Let me give you a new commend: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples-when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13: 34-35 MSG

After my husband and I returned a couple of weeks ago from spending most of the day at a Toronto hospital for a pre-op appointment, I looked at him and said, “I feel reassured, which seems to me to be a strange way to feel. How do you feel?” “Reassured.” was his answer.

The bigger question was WHY we felt that way.

It might have been because the very first question asked of him was “What are we doing for you?” And the whole of the next 6 hours proceeded in the same direction. Everyone was listening to what we said, concentrating on what they could do to make things work for us.

A week ago today, he had his surgery and has been in this same hospital ever since. And we have continued to feel reassured, reassured that they are doing everything in their power to make his recovery as positive as possible.

As I have thought about this over the past couple of weeks, I have come to the realization that what is actually happening here is an example of the Golden Rule in action. Only in this case it isn’t JUST one person but rather a group of people, the doctors and nurses of this hospital, that are living it. They are exemplifying LOVE in its most basic sense, looking out for the good of not only the patient, but also his family, treating them as they would want to be treated if they were in the same position.

And isn’t that really what love is all about? Just think what a difference it would make in this world of ours, if those who purport to be Christian all decided to live in this way.

To paraphrase the gospel, “By their love, you will know them.”

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NUDGINGS: a journey into the unknown

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