“The Window”
An anonymous story
that I came across tells of two men who were seriously ill and shared a
hospital room. Both men had to lie flat on their backs, except one man, the one
nearer the window was allowed to sit up for one hour a day to take his medicine.
This one hour would be an important one for the man who had to remain flat on
his back.
For that hour the
man would describe what he saw out the hospital window. He described the park
across the street from the hospital and the people he would see strolling
along. He would talk about the weather and the man who fed the birds every day
about that time. That man came every day, rain or shine. There were children playing and young couples hand in
hand ambling along the paths.
One day, it must
have been a holiday, there was some special
parade. The man described in detail what he saw below. The man on his back
lived for this hour, the hour of the day when, though flat on his back, he
could become free through the vision of the man near the window.
One morning the
nurse came in to give the men their medicine and found the man near the window
lying lifeless, but peaceful in his bed. It was sad, but mostly for the man on
his back, since his eyes to the world had left. When he felt it was appropriate, he asked the nurse for the bed
next to the window.
The nurse obliged moving the man to the other side of the room.
Slowly the man began to prop himself up to get a glimpse of the park across the
street and the people he had grown to love day by day as he lay on his back. As
the man peered through the window glass
he did not see the park, but only a brick wall. Disappointed,
he rang for the nurse and asked why she
thought the man had told so many stories when all he saw was a wall. “Maybe he
just wanted to encourage you,” she said softly.
Encouragement is taking joy in making other
people feel good about themselves. It is making others happy or at least
happier by helping them think of brighter things outside their world of pain,
sorrow, or depression. People need affirmation. They need someone to give them
hope. They need someone to pump them up when they are down and sometimes even carry them.
It’s become
popular at high school football games when it gets to the fourth quarter for
the bands to play and the fans are
holding up four fingers, signifying that it’s at the end and encouraging to
either stay ahead or make a comeback that wins the game. The cheers of the crowd become louder; the bands play
more, and teams get fired up as everyone encourages their boys to win. It’s the
fourth quarter!
Many people get
discouraged not only because of the situation
but because they feel nobody cares. They feel they are tackling their problems
alone. They struggle through life feeling lost and alone. They don’t have
cheerleaders and fans who they can see cheering them on. They can only hear the
voices in their head reminding them of the struggles they face.
It doesn’t take
much to encourage people. It costs nothing to lift someone up who has found
themselves down. Words of encouragement and embracements of love go a long way
in building up an individual. Simple words, freely given can do so much to lift
a person’s spirit and help them through some tough times. Every person we meet
each and every day can use kind, simple
words telling them they are doing a good job and that what they do is
appreciated. Words of encouragement tell people, “You matter” and “You are
important.”
Let us all take
the time to encourage one another. Let us
all build others up. Let us all let the people we meet know that we care for
them. Let us all brighten the day of someone who is on their back, down and
out. Let’s tell them about the park and the people we see. Let’s describe the
parade passing by the window.
________________________
Carry each other’s
burdens, and in this way you will fulfill
the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2