By Andrea Goebel
God’s Way
In the midst of a recent health crisis during which I was hospitalized for several days, I witnessed humility, compassion and kindness in their purest forms. I saw God’s love poured out by those around me, and I realized what it means to submit ourselves to his work.
After I was admitted to the hospital for extreme abdominal pain and high white blood cell counts, doctors performed a laparoscopic procedure to determine that my appendix had ruptured, and a severe infection was spreading throughout my body. They removed the appendix, cleared out the infection and administered antibiotics to ensure the infection was gone.
During my hospital stay, I lay in bed, entirely dependent on my caregivers. Nurses held my hands to help me stand, placed warm blankets over me when I felt cold and put on my socks and cap to prepare me for surgery. My husband moved my IV cart when I was not strong enough to push it, shifted my feet off and on the bed every time I stood up and sat back down and washed my hair when I felt too weak to do it on my own. My mom fed me ice chips when I was unable to eat, encouraged me to practice breathing exercises post-surgery and worked crossword puzzles aloud with me to entertain and distract us.
All of these individuals emulated the advice of St. Paul and performed God’s work by caring for my most basic needs.
In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul stated, “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).
To the Colossians, he wrote, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
Practicing humility requires us to submit ourselves to God as his servants. We do what he asks of us, and in doing so, we become more Christ-like.
Jesus gave us the greatest example of humility when he died on the cross to save us from eternal separation from God. By humbling himself to die this type of death, he showed us that he was God’s servant, and he wanted to follow God’s will. As Jesus knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will” (Mark 14:36).
God wants us to give up our will to follow his in order to grow closer to him. When we release our desires and surrender them to him, we act sacrificially, just like Jesus did when he released his will to God’s will.
Jesus’ life and death glorified God. Our lives can glorify him, too.
I am so grateful God’s servants were there in my hospital room with me. They revealed the power of his love by sacrificing their needs to care for mine. Perhaps that’s the greatest gift we can give another person: to live and love like Jesus, and thus, lead them to him.