As many of you know, I work in an inner-city community health center serving the needy in our neighborhood. My co-workers and I intentionally chose where we work because we are helpers by nature. However, even helpers find it difficult to keep helping if they’re not seeing the results of their efforts. Often we question: Are we really making a difference? Keeping open hands and open hearts can be tough when we don’t see any noticeable progress.
The inner city can be a harsh environment but even here, pockets of beauty can still be found. The previous spring, one of the other physicians and I decided to plant wildflowers outside the large window of our conference room to benefit our staff and our patients. Within the flower bed, we placed a feeder with sunflowers and another with hummingbird food. Then we waited for the birds to find us.
Immediately, the sparrows found the sunflowers and devoured them. Day after day, I watched for the first sign that the wee little birds had arrived too. However, even though I patiently kept replacing the hummingbird food all summer, there were no “hummers” attracted to our feeder. I wasn’t sure the effort was worth it but I kept hope that one day soon they would find it.
Then before an early morning meeting, I again refilled the feeder with fresh sugar water. Was I crazy to keep putting out food? I began to wonder if there were any hummingbirds in the city anyway. Just as I was sitting down, I saw something dart out of the corner of my eye! Could it be true? At last, a hummingbird had found the food I had been faithfully supplying for it all summer! Where there is one, many more will be sure to follow.
I couldn’t help but see the analogy to the work we do in our health ministry. We reach out day after day, offering our skills to improve the well-being of our patients. Like the hummingbirds, there are many barriers preventing people from finding and accepting our assistance. However, when we help one person, they tell others and by word of mouth, the good news of our care spreads. Little by little, we hear the affirmation of those touched by our ministry and the whole community benefits.
Lord, help us to continue faithfully reaching out with open hands and open hearts to our neighbors while always remembering to trust You for the results.
“All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it” -Psalms 104:27-28 MSG
