Years ago, I was a volunteer visitor in a nursing home. I visited residents who had no family or
visitors. All of the residents with whom
I visited made a deep impression on me.
I loved hearing the stories of their lives. I loved talking with them and seeing them
smile! They loved seeing me, too, and
they enjoyed having someone talk with them and take an interest in their lives.
One day, the Volunteer Coordinator, Mary, contacted me and
asked if I would visit with a very elderly woman who was bedridden and who had
severe dementia. Mary told me that the
resident, Ida, was able to talk, but she was completely unaware of her surroundings
and she was not able to recognize anyone.
I explained to Mary that I really preferred to visit with people with
whom I could interact because I loved to talk with them and hear their stories.
Mary persisted and eventually persuaded me to visit with
Ida. I remember that I was very
reluctant, and I really was not sure how I would interact with her. I was not looking forward to it.
The following week, I visited Ida for the first time. I walked into her room and she was laying on
her side, and she saw me enter the room.
She immediately smiled and looked intently at me as I walked toward her,
and she said, “Richard!” I took her hand
in mine and told her my name was Linda, and that I came to see how she was
doing. She continued to call me Richard,
and I found out that was her late husband’s name. I decided not to try to convince her that
I was not Richard, but instead, I just talked to her.
I saw a Bible laying on her nightstand. I said, “Would you like me to read to you?” She smiled.
The Bible was well worn, filled with bookmarks, and many passages were
underlined. I turned to the book of
Psalms and began to read the underlined verses.
Ida lay in her bed, very still, and she began to recite the verses with
me as I read aloud. I was amazed! She was able to recite everything I read to
her, word for word, no matter how long the passages. I was filled with joy. I felt that we had such a connection! She smiled a great big beautiful smile as I
read aloud to her. I loved visiting with
her!
I visited Ida every week for about six months, and I grew to
love her very much. I loved sharing the
Bible with her and seeing her face light up as she recited the passages from
Psalms as I read aloud to her. When I
was single and working hard all week, my visits with Ida were the high point at
the end of my busy week. I knew all the
aides and nurses on the floor, and I enjoyed going on Sunday afternoons to see
everyone. I always brought a flower with
me when I went to the nursing home. One
day, I decided to bring a whole bouquet of yellow roses to Ida. I was smiling and carrying the vase with
roses as I climbed the staircase to the second floor, and I walked down the
hallway to Ida’s room.
I walked into her room and saw that the bed was stripped and
her Bible was gone. One of the aides
entered the room behind me and said, “I’m sorry, honey, Ida passed away on
Friday.” The aide put her arm around my shoulders and said, “You were so nice to her. God
bless you!” The tears came, and I handed
the vase with flowers to the aide. I ran
out to my car and I cried so hard. I
mourned Ida’s death for a long time, and I missed visiting with her. Ida thought that I was family, and indeed I
had become her family.
In all my volunteer visiting, no one made a bigger impact on
me. I frequently thought about how the
Word of God was written on her heart. Last
Fall, when I began memorizing Bible verses, I thought about Ida and the impact
she had on me. God’s love flowed through
her to me, at a time in my life when I was single and lonely. I thought I was giving to her, but she gave
me so much! Isn’t it marvelous that she inspires
me after 20 years? I am motivated to
continue memorizing in 2017, and so far, I have been meeting my goal of one
verse per week.
Recently, as I was reading through the book of Lamentations,
a sad, grief-ridden book written by Jeremiah, I came across some incredible
verses of hope. Anyone who has suffered,
is suffering, or will suffer in the future (this likely covers all of us)
should take comfort in these verses, written here from memory:
Lamentations 3:21-24:
Lamentations 3:21-24:
21- Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
22- The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
23- Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24- I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him."
I want those verses written on my heart!
I encourage you to think about who or what
motivates you to achieve a goal on your list.
Write it down next to your goal (see “A New Year Goal Strategy” to
develop your list). I was thinking about
what motivates me to finish a book. I
think I am motivated by the fact that time is going by so fast and none of us
knows how long we have on earth. I don’t
want to waste the time that God has given me... I have books that are burning in
my heart to write! I want to achieve my
goals, with God’s guidance!
Devotion
Take delight in the
Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for Ida,
who loved me in her own special way and inspired me with her delight in knowing
you. Thank you for giving her such a
wonderful purpose, even if she was not aware of it at that time. Help us, Lord, to follow Ida’s example and
have her joy, and help us to inspire and motivate others and encourage one
another. Help us each day to turn to you
in praise and delight in knowing you! In
Jesus’ name, Amen.
© 2017 Linda Lijewski
