The View from the 9th Floor

The sun sparkling on the snow-laden rooftops. The streets overflowing with rows of cars rushing to and fro. Shoes pounding the sidewalks with their owner's hands clinching beautifully decorated department store bags full of treasures. Everything looks joyful and glamorous.

This is my view from our hospital room on the 9th floor today.

But I see more.

I see monitors blinking random numbers. Curtains separating one hurting soul from another. I see I.V. packs, bandages, and cups of ice chips. I see heart monitors, I.D. bracelets, and blood pressure cuffs.

Yet I still see more.

I see nervous hands trembling, feeble bodies resting, fearful eyes searching. I see long embraces shared for a moment longer. Tears of heartache, and tears of joy.

I see life. Real life. No pretenses on the 9th floor.

My husband shared a room with an elderly man who was going in for surgery. We overheard the doctor explain to his patient the high risk of surgery at such an advanced age. We also heard the doctor explain the procedure should only take 30 minutes. At the end of the day, my husband's roommate had yet to return. The reason why, we do not know.

Life is real on the 9th floor. The good and the bad are revealed. Are exposed. Our pretenses provide only as much coverage as a hospital gown does our backside. Partial, at best.

But life is good up here. Conversations are real. Pain is real. Hope and healing are sought after as one seeks for the richest treasure. 

So, what's the difference between the sidewalks below and the rows of beds up here? Nothing. Only flimsy masks; attempts to hide the real. Life is painful and ugly at times. That is the truth. We all need healing. We all need hope. That is truth. And every one of us are looking for it in one way or another. But to where do we look or to whom is what matters, and is what makes all the difference.

Again, we all need hope. But true hope; certain hope. Hope that overflows into joy. And there is but one place it is found: Christ. 

We all need this. We all need Him. He is our hope, "...Christ Jesus, who is our hope..." 1 Timothy 1:1.

"...indeed we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us..." 2 Corinthians 9-10

And He is our healer of any and all of our ailments. Even the most deadly ailment of all - sin.

"'Which is easier to say: 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.' So he said to the paralyzed man, 'Get up, take your mat and go home.' Then the man got up and went home. When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God." Matthew 9:5-8

"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!" Psalm 30:11-2 NLT  

I need Jesus! She needs Jesus! You need Jesus! We need Him as much as we need air to breathe. And we need this reminder each and every day, lest we fool ourselves and run after that which leaves us lifeless.

So, let us be real.

Let us see past the masks (and put down our own!); see past the precarious pretenses, and look deeper. Look more intentionally, more tenderly into the life of our neighbor, and then love them. Yes, it takes our time, and it may take getting dirty with someone else's mess (we know the Lord did so when He washed His disciples feet!). But in doing so, it also brings Hope and healing to those Jesus came for - all of us.

What a beautiful Christmas gift to give to another - the humble and intentional love of Jesus. I am so grateful that the Lord gave this gift to me.

Is there someone in our life that needs to know of the hope and healing of Christ? Or perhaps they have heard, but may now need to experience a taste of His love through us? 

Oh Lord, give us eyes to see that which we cannot otherwise see on our own, and a heart that so beautifully resembles Your own. Amen.