A Phone Call…and My Prayer Life

We had enjoyed having our family spend the holidays with us. Our children and grandchildren had left earlier that day for their homes. Neither one of us were feeling well, so the job of putting clean sheets on the beds they had slept in would be left for another day…

…or so we thought.

All of that changed at about 9:45 p.m. with one phone call. The call was from out of state. A family was going through a real crisis. I am not exaggerating when I say that it could easily have been a life or death type of crisis. 

The caller informed us that one of the members of the family was either in, or close to, Paducah. Because there was a genuine concern about this person’s safety, I was being asked if this person could spend the night with us. Of course, the answer was, “Yes.”

So, instead of getting some rest and trying to fight off whatever Donna and I were dealing with, a bed had to be made available and other preparations had to be made for our newest houseguest. We waited.

We didn’t have to wait long. The person arrived. Until about 1:00 the next morning we offered a few suggestions, made some recommendations, and tried to empathize. Mostly, though, we just listened. We just “tried to be there” for somebody who needed a “port in the storm” for an evening.

Later that morning, our houseguest left and headed for home. We haven’t heard how things are going since that late night and early morning.

As I reflect on all of that, I have two thoughts. First, we hope that our efforts helped somewhat. We would do it again without question. Though a number of miles separate us, that family was then, and is now, in our prayers.

The second thought I have is a little (okay, a lot) more introspective. I wonder how often I call on God only when there is a crisis. How often do I want Him to be “there for me” when life seems to be caving in, but “put Him on the shelf” when things seem to be perking along just fine?

We do not want to intrude, but it would be nice to know how things are going with our friends. It is always great to hear from people you know and love “just because,” and not just when there is a crisis.

I can only imagine how my Father feels when I fail to communicate with Him regularly just because I love Him; want to express my gratitude to Him; and share with Him my joys as well as my sorrows.

My prayer life could use some improvement.  How about yours?

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