A Matchstick Mentality

After one particularly long day in the ICU with my mom, I went outside and just sat on a bench. I needed some fresh air and time to clear my head. It can be overwhelming listening to the machines beeping, nurses scurrying around, and families pacing and praying. So I just sat there and watched the people come and go. This one guy in particular was so nervous, if he had been anywhere else I would have thought he was up to something. He reached into the trash receptacle and pulled out a discarded cigarette. Now normally I would have been disgusted at the sight. But after weeks in the ICU you see and hear so many disturbing things, this was nothing. He then walks over to me and asks if I have a light. No I said, sorry I don't smoke. I funbled through my purse, looking for a lighter I knew I didn’t have. Funny the things you do when you want to help someone. He walked off without even responding to me. He wasn’t into niceties. He just needed one thing, a light. He rolled that piece of cigarette in his finger like it was gold. A little later he saw a nurse taking a smoke break on the other side of the parking lot and off he goes headed toward her as fast as he could.

Now normally I hate cigaratte smoke. But after spending the day in the ICU I could totally sympathize with the poor man. The nurse probably had no idea how much he needed that half a smoke. Pain and suffering can wreck a person mentally and physically. We've all been there. We've had those days. It may not be a cigaratte we needed, it may have been just a kind word, a smile, a helping hand, a bag of groceries, a friend...

Matt asked me why I was writing a blog. Everyone was doing it. Mine wouldn't matter. Maybe, maybe not. I told him I wasn't out to change the world, or do anything dramatic. I just knew there were people out there that could use a light, a little encouraging word, a happy thought, a friend who cared or just knowing they weren't alone.

The Bible says in Zech 4:10, Do not despise small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Not all of us are called to be a great flame, most of us are just matchsticks. And some of us just need our flame lit. Whether you are a soft burning fireplace, a firecracker, a bonfire, or just a little candle lighting someones way, you are loved and needed.

This week I want to write about simple people who did small things and made a big difference. If anyone, even a stranger, has made a big difference in your life, leave a comment below.