Over the weekend my dad was taken into emergency with chest pains and fear of heart attack. To make a long story short it was not but a warning that one is forth coming if he doesn't make some changes. My dad has never been one for doctors and has not taken care of himself very well so today I took him to the V.A. Hospital in Loma Linda to get him registered and get some meds, have tests etc. While we were there I looked around at what must of been hundreds of vets walking around from place to place and took notice of a few things. One, the hospital was not very clean or cheerful for a place that is meant to care for those who have taken care of us. Second, most of these men and women looked as though they didn't have much, many walking with limps, in wheelchairs or visible scars and of course probably all carrying scars we could not see. I told my dad, "Our soldiers deserve better than this". I have always heard that our country doesn't take good care of it's own but I got a little taste today. Although my dad was appreciative I took note of what I thought was below average for those who take care of us.It caused me to think about those who take care of us in ministry. Nobody gets to there destiny alone. God brings people into our lives to help get us there, speak into our lives, care for us, teach us, correct us, protect us, serve us, labor and pray for us etc. Could it be that we are guilty of the same thing with our people as the goverment/country is with our soldiers? We love em for what they can do for us but when they aren't on the front lines we no longer take much interest. Our care or concern for them erodes over time as other people become the focus of our attention. God help us if this is true. Too many have sacrificed more than we will ever know and deserve better than to be forgotten or just moved along.
From those who mentor us to those we mentor, let us not forget to take care of those who have taken care of us. They deserve better!
Thank you for your insight. As a pastor I always struggled with finding ways to make sure that all of those under my watch were cared for. The larger the church grows, the more difficult it is to provide a personal touch. Sometimes I would lay my head down at night with inner turmoil because I didn't feel that our church was doing an adequate job. I tried all kinds of things--home groups, lay pastors, staff pastors who were dedicated to pastoral care. And yet, I was never satisfied that we were taking care of our soldiers.
ReplyDeleteNow, I find myself at a level of leadership that is even farther removed, and candidly, the compassion and concern seems even more heightened. How do you care for all the soldiers? What systems can be established that will meet the needs? The spiritual V.A. Hospital doesn't look very good from where I stand.
And yet, you don't feel like you have any more pieces of yourself to give out and still be spiritually healthy or mentally sane. I know that the responsibility lies with the generals; the buck stops there.
So Lord help the Generals train the layers of leadership to do a more effective job of "taking care of those who take care of us."
Bishop Ming, I appreciate your transparency. It is a struggle for so many of us. The truth is I think we will always fall short somewhere but to not stop trying. I think people have grace when they know that we as leaders are doing our best. I do not have all the answers but I am learning. One thing I found that works for me is to find all the things that I do that I don't need to do or someone else can do and get back to 3 things, prayer, study and spending time touching & pouring into people.
ReplyDeleteAs we grow the people we touch directly grows smaller and the ones we touch indirectly hopefully grows larger. Like you I will never be satisfied, there are always ways we feel we could do better. All we can do is pour ourselves in a few and trust those people to touch many.
Anyone else have some thoughts?
P.S. Bishop Ming, You and Bishop Scott as well as others are doing more than we on a local level will never know and visa versa but I trust you have our best interest at heart in all you do and appreciate the fact that in the last 2 years I have felt more connected because of some of the changes you guys are making. The point is, I believe you care about us and we care about you!
Thank you for your encouraging words. We must never stop trying to improve our own hospital and patient care. And to do so, we must be honest and transparent and seek the Lord for vision and implementation. I am blessed by these blogs.
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