A light in their path

I know it is Friday, WOOHOO, and I usually like to do fun, lighthearted things on Friday, but this has been on my heart lately and I wanted to share it with you!

My soon-to-be-hubby (43 days if anyone is counting!) works at a hospital and he told me about this guy that came into the ER and was doubled over in pain. He was complaining of severe pain in his stomach/abdomen area. He was screaming and hollering for someone to give him some pain medicine. Apparently, it is somewhat a normal occurrence for someone to come into the emergency room and complain of pain in order to get drugs or pain medication in order to feed a drug addiction. I imagine that nurses and doctors are constantly dealing with those issues of having to determine if they really are in pain, or just want a quick fix. Anyway, soon-to-be-hubby said that they were very skeptical as to whether that was the case or if indeed this man was really in a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. They kind of assumed he was just putting on a good show in order to get what he wanted. However, regardless of their thoughts or intuition, they must administer proper treatment… so Soon-to-be-hubby was instructed to take him to get a CAT scan done to determine what was going on. After arriving in the room to perform the test, the man began to throw up. He continued vomiting (I hate even typing that word) for a few minutes and then gained his composure. They went on to perform the test. After arriving back in his room in the ER, soon-to-be-hubby went in to give him some very strong pain medicine. The patient immediately told soon-to-be-hubby that he didn’t want the medication, that he was feeling fine. He said after vomiting, his stomach felt much better and he felt that he didn’t need the medication. Come to find out, according to the test results, this man had severe kidney stones and was indeed in a ton of pain. Apparently after his bouts of sickness, his kidney stones readjusted and he was able to pass them.

It really got me to thinking…about how I am guilty of doing that very same thing…I will look at someone and judge them based on their actions, demeanor or even looks. I tend to immediately jump to conclusions and determine in my mind what I think of feel or think about that person. I fail to give people the benefit of the doubt and take them at their word. I think our society has made us very skeptical people. We tend to think the worst before even getting to know someone. We fail to learn the situation and in turn treat them poorly or unjustly. I have tried this week to listen more and not judge so quickly. There are so many hurting people out there and people dealing with extremely difficult situations. So my challenge to myself and to you…is instead of thinking judgmental thoughts or being quick to label someone, give that person an extra big smile, or ask if there is something you can do to help. My hope is to quit thinking so negatively about others and realize that I am not better than anyone. I am not in a position to judge others, but to be a light in their paths.