Sometimes we ask ourselves the question, “God and I doing any good?” when we receive very little response, or no response at all, to efforts we make. There are times we wonder if we make any difference for the better in other peoples lives, or our own.
Dr. Tim Rick, who practices in Duluth, Minnesota tells of when he was a pre-med student at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. He was responsible for several patients in a nursing home at the time. One of his most difficult cases was a patient by the name of Zita. She lay in a semicomatose state, never uttering a word, never moving. Whenever Dr. Tim visited Zita, he held her hand and talked to her, but she never reacted. The medical field calls this “unresponsive.” Dr. Tim asked, “God, am I doing any good?”
One night something came over Dr. Tim and he knew he had to check on Zita. He came in through the front door of the nursing home and walked down the hall to Zita’s room. As he glanced at her chart, he wondered why he had come. Suddenly a voice said, “Tim, I’m glad you came.” It was Zita speaking!
She pushed herself up on one elbow. “I wanted to tell you thanks, you’ve been a wonderful doctor,” she said to Dr. Tim. Dr. Tim patted her hand. “I’ll be right back,” he promised, and rushed to get a nurse. “Zita’s responsive!” Dr. Tim said. The nurse looked at him incredulously and they dashed to Zita’s room. She had resumed her usual position, eyes closed. Dr. Tim gelt the side of her neck. There was a faint pulse, then she was gone.
Zita had taught Dr. Tim a lesson he carries throughout his medical career: Compassion is powerful medicine. We all can grow from lessons like this. Having compassion is a powerful tool that God provides for all of us to use in our ministry and daily lives.
