Bedside Lessons: What I Learned about Priorities after 5 Days in the Hospital
Thursday started out like any normal day.
There was so much anticipation about the road trip ahead. We knew once we reached the end of our car ride, our days would be filled with fun, beach, sun and unadulterated relaxation.
But no matter how far down the road we looked, nothing could prepare us for the journey that would become our road trip.
I took this photo enroute to our vacation.
In that moment, I was struck by the beauty that overshadowed the road we traveled. I was moved by how we are often so consumed by the road we travel that we miss all the beauty that surrounds us. It was like God brought into plain view that which we are often too busy to look up and see.
This revelation hit me hard and fast as I reflected on the concrete pavement of my life.
Little did I know, less than 4 hours later, my son would fall critically ill and I’d spend the next 5 days next to his hospital bed pleading with God.
And while we did not get many of the medical answers we were seeking, I walked away the last two weeks with some unexpected answers and lessons I learned at his bedside.
Y’all... I realize I spent too much time on the road...the road to success ..the road to busyness...the road to...places that don’t really matter.
In the hospital, my road stopped.
Everything that was my reality stopped.
The road didn’t matter.
I couldn’t heal my child or slow down my racing heart or cradle my aching soul with the road.
I learned that while we travel the road, we must learn to look above it.
When we look up, above the road, we can see the clouds. That visual reminds me of the people who consistently float in and out our lives. Some move with us, some stay behind. They laugh with us, cry with us, and they pray with us when the road we travel becomes a trip.
Don’t lose sight of the clouds. Those closest to you. Each of our lives are but a mist...that can so easily disappear. I learned I need to look to and care for my clouds more. They could be gray, about to burst with tears, but we forgot to look. Take care of your clouds before their gone or moved on.
I also learned, when we look up, we see the bigger picture, not just the road, not just the clouds, not just the horizon, but a much more complete picture. How often do we let the road we travel overshadow everything else in our lives. The road, the curves it in, the storms that form over us, are just part of the story...not the whole story.
When we look up, we get a different view. We get a glimpse of the infinite possibilities and outcomes that we couldn’t concoct on our best day. Look up and trust there’s so much to the view you can’t even see. So, trust the One who not only sees, but created the entire view.
Finally, when we look up, we physically cannot look down. Down is where we see concrete for miles, constantly treading away at our energy, as we continue to trudge forward. But when we look up, we see the beauty, the possibility, the unknown. Don’t miss it.
So, yes in many ways our time in the hospital was a disappointment, but the lessons learned were not.
I am more determined than ever, to take my eyes off the road, and just look up.
The answers are never on the road, they’re above it. It is from the Infinite above that comes my infinite perspective, support and answers. So, just.look.up! It will change your whole view.
Meditation:
“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Colossians 3:2 NKJV
Colossians 3:2 NKJV
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