Many years ago, I found myself once again hospitalized with a bowel obstruction. After struggling for many days, not being able to drink more than 2 ounces of water a day, I finally broke down and went to the emergency department. My small intestine had wrapped itself around my superior mesenteric artery, causing a complete bowel obstruction. Although I was grateful for IV hydration and IV pain meds, I was disheartened to be back in the hospital for an extended stay.
During my hospital excursion, God placed a delightful woman in the bed adjacent to mine. I greatly dislike shared hospital rooms, but for what it is worth, I was grateful for this woman's kind, endearing company during the long hours whilst hospitalized. This woman shared with me that she was a teacher for children with learning disabilities. She told me all about her students. Her love and joy for her kids seemed to radiant from her smiling face. Unfortunately, the woman had developed asthma and subsequently had been having many respiratory issues. She had been hospitalized for many days earlier in the year with pneumonia. Now, it seems, she had acquired a bad case of pneumonia again.
The woman never complained to me about her financial situation, but when her husband came to visit, deep sorrow and misery spilled out from her heart. She was out of vacation days. They were very short of money due to the recent Christmas holidays. Every day she was hospitalized, she would lose $100 from lost wages. As I listened to this woman's long lamentation, I felt compelled to help her out. For my Christmas gift, my parents had given me $100. I instantly knew what I had to do.
The day I was discharged, I placed my $100 Christams gift in a small photo booklet my friend Deb had given me. I desperately wanted to leave the woman a note, but I had neither pen or paper. Instead, I prayed God word deliver her this message, "Here is $100. The exact amount you said you would lose if you missed a day of work. Please rest, please be free from your anguish for this one day. Sit back and allow your body to recuperate. Your students need you to be well to help them through their days. I pray you know Jesus for He says, 'Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light' Matthew 11:28-30. God loves you. This gift is from Him."
As I exited the shared hospital room, my hands were busy hanging on to my backpack and other luggage on my lap as my dad pushed my wheelchair out the door. So, my mom gave my roommate the gift. Since the $100 bill was stashed inside the booklet, my mom told the woman to open the booklet. When the woman saw the $100 bill drop from the booklet's pages, shock overwhelmed the woman's body. Then, large, round tears burst forth from her eyes as she began to weep uncontrollably. My mom quickly exited the room, never saying another word to the woman.
As I reflect back on this story, I have no idea what ever happened to my hospital roommate. I pray she recovered and was able to go back to work. I pray God was able to richly bless her life as she and her family struggled through some difficult financial circumstances. Although I could have purchased a number of items or could have even used the money to pay off some of my own debt, giving the woman the money was by far the best use of the $100. I thank God over and over again that I was allowed to be this woman's hospital roommate and had been given the resources to bless and share God's love with her.
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