Please Handle With Love

by | Jun 6, 2017 | Devotional | 0 comments

couple_together.jpg

Today’s article is another installment in Brother P.’s column, “Lessons From the Nursing Home.”

My job is walking the residents of a nursing home, and sometimes they just don’t want to walk — or even get out of bed for that matter. Sometimes their resistance is due to pain or fear of the struggle that they might have to go through when standing and walking. Sometimes it’s because they don’t know me. So, my job changes from being a people walker to being a people encourager, educator, annoyer, cheerleader … whatever seems to work at the time.

Residents who have dementia often can’t be encouraged or educated into the walk. They often don’t really care that walking is good for their bones, lungs, circulation, strength, etc. They just know that I am trying to get them to do something that they don’t want to.

One thing that I’ve found to be particularly effective is love. If I talk to them in love, if I’m concerned for their concerns, focused on their needs, talking about what they want to talk about, then they will often agree to the walk. And you want to know what’s even more interesting? They often forget the fact that we walked, they always forget my name, sometimes they forget that they just had lunch 20 minutes ago, but they very often remember that they liked me —even forgetting that I was the one making them take the walk that they really didn’t want to in the first place!

I wonder if God made the part of our brain that understands love more resistant to dementia and maybe more resistant to everyday forgetfulness. I know that when someone shows me love it has an impact. Maybe your job isn’t to walk people with dementia, but I wonder if there is somewhere in your life that could be better handled by love.

Bio Emil

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.

Author

  • Brother P.

    Brother P. lives in the mountains with his wife and two boys who he's tremendously thankful for.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further Reading

Second to God

“Do you really love me?” my father would ask. With a smile, my mother would nod.  I felt warm inside when mother replied, “Don’t you know, you come second to God”* If you had a conversation similar to the above with your spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, best...

Read More

Shake the Dust Off Your Feet

As Jesus continues to prepare His twelve Apostles for the mission He is sending them on, He gives them some unusual instructions regarding lodging in each city that they will visit. Rather than make arrangements to stay at an inn (and since they’re also told to not...

Read More

Never Miss a New Article

Subscribe to Our Email List
Sign up and get every new blog post sent straight to your inbox so you always have the day’s devotional at your fingertips.

We never share your email address with anyone for any reason, and we use it only to send you Gospel Blog emails. Just articles, not ads!

Your Story for God’s Glory

Share Your Testimony on Miracle Monday

We devote Miracle Monday to sharing miracle stories. From finding a lost wedding ring to healing cancer on the spot, Jesus Christ has done it all, big and small.

And we want to hear about what He’s done for you.

The Gospel Blog Is Open for Submissions

We encourage devotional-style or scripture-based articles in the ballpark of 500 words. We are open to any topic that glorifies God and unites the Church.