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I recently read the story of a young student nurse who, as a dedicated Christian, tried to see each patient through the eyes of Jesus. For her it wasn’t just a job, but a mission of helping people who were sick or in need of care.

Then she met Eileen, one of her first patients. Her condition was critical, because she had suffered a cerebral aneurysm, a broken blood vessel in the brain. This left her with no conscious control over her body. And the young nurse needed to care for her. Eileen was totally unconscious, unable to feel pain, and not aware of what was going on around her. Every two hours she was turned in bed to avoid bedsores and fed twice a day through a stomach tube. It was a heartbreaking situation. Other nurses told the student she had to detach herself emotionally from the patient.

But the nurse felt she couldn’t treat this patient like a ‘thing’. She talked to Eileen, sang to her, encouraged her and even brought her little gifts. It was Thanksgiving Day, and she spoke to her even though it was her rostered day off. The phone rang, and she turned away to answer it, and looked back to see the patient looking at her, crying. Big damp circles covered her pillow, and she was shaking all over. This was the only human emotion that Eileen ever showed, but it was enough to change the whole attitude of the hospital staff toward her. It wasn’t long after this that Eileen died. But for the Christian nurse, this was a part of her life she would never forget. In telling the story she said “I kept thinking about Eileen. It occurred to me that I owe her a lot. Except for Eileen, I might never have known what it’s like to give myself to someone who can’t give back.

I think there’s a powerful lesson in this story. Our society says we shouldn’t give unconditionally. “Only when you know you’ll get something back” is the mood of today. But let’s remember that giving of yourself is a very fulfilling and exciting process. We always gain when we give, and we are never the poorer. It is God our Heavenly Father who gives us 24 hours in each day to do something valuable for Him, and that will mean helping others, not expecting any return or favour back, just like the student nurse and Eileen. God in His Word reminds us repeatedly that our lives control our things, our money, and our valuable time.

When we build our lives around giving to others (and not expecting anything back), the use of our time and energy actually become gifts of God’s love.

The Scripture tells me in Proverbs 11:25 “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” If we put our focus on other people’s needs and give to them, God promises He will give to us. It won’t necessarily be financial gain, but the joy of helping others will outweigh anything we receive. The Scripture says “it is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). You may have heard the old saying “what you put into something is what you get back.” How true! When we invest our time or money in helping another person, we are blessing that person with God’s love, and God will bless us in return. It can be tiring and difficult, but if you’ve been giving and giving to people and feel you haven’t been helped in return, don’t worry. Be encouraged instead. Because God knows what you’ve done,and He will definitely bless you.

Remember the wonderful words of Matthew 25:40 “The king will reply, ‘I tell you the truth. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me'”.

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