Medical Assistance

Well, I had to take another visit to the doctor… While I was on my 6-month adventure, I actually collected two injuries. One of them is obviously my head injury. Many of you know that story. It is a good one! And thankfully, I only really experience major pain from it once every couple months. Considering everything my poor head and neck went through, I see that as a major success. However, at some point during my trip (I think it was while I was in Belize but I am honestly not sure) I injured my foot. I probably like tripped over a log or something because I am as graceful as a rhino. I really don’t remember the exact moment that it happened. But it never really been super swollen or bruised so I just thought it would go away.

So here we are a year and a half later and it still bothers me. Not an overwhelming amount. I can still walk around campus and even run without too much pain. I started teaching dance again and that usually irritates it but for the most part it’s okay! But I noticed it was starting to get worse so I decided it was about time to get it looked at.

This past Wednesday I went to TOC to get it checked out. They took x-rays of my foot and then my mom and I went and sat in the room while we waited for the doctor to come give me the news. When he walked in, he came and pushed a couple areas on my foot. It actually felt pretty good, like a foot massage… Until he hit that one spot. Lemme tell you, I almost gave him a swift kick to the jaw. He kind of gave a half smile when I cringed because he knew that was going to be my reaction. It was conformation that he knew what was going on.

Apparently, I broke something that he referred to as the “kneecap of my big toe”. Not really sure exactly what that means but it kind of makes sense. But all I knew for sure was that for the past year and a half, I have been walking around broken. And I didn’t even know it! He got onto me for not coming to see him sooner but I thought I was okay. I thought I could handle it by myself.

A lot of times, God is like my doctor. He has all of the answers. He even knows how to fix it. We just have to admit that we have a problem. We have to be willing to let God take an x-ray of our hearts and show us the things that have been hurting us. The things that have been making us broken. That process is scary. And it might hurt. But once we can see and understand what has been hurting us, it should make us want to do whatever it takes to heal it.

Why did it take me so long to finally admit to a doctor that I had a problem and that I was in pain? How long do we walk around with things that hurt us and cause us pain before we finally decide to let God come in and heal us? It’s easy to be stubborn. To think that we can handle everything on our own. That if we just keep ignoring a problem, it will eventually go away. But we are walking around with broken bones. That kind of stuff doesn’t just heal on its own. It involves us making an appointment with THE doctor and healer and letting Him go to work.

People, Prayers, and Polynesian Sauce

So I made this lady cry at work yesterday… 

Hopefully you know me well enough to know it’s not because I yelled at her or told her she was ordering chicken wrong. I don’t really have that kind of personality like at all. Here’s what happened:

It was later in the evening, maybe like 8:30, and this lady in her mid-50s to early 60s came into the restaurant. I had sent everyone on cleaning projects to get us working on closing down the store, so I went over to take her order. I noticed that she was wearing all black but she looked very nice and put together so I didn’t really think anything of it. Nothing really unusual happened while she was ordering. She ordered a couple sandwiches and asked me if there was anything that would hold over until tomorrow, so I recommended our Spicy Southwest Salad (but this isn’t sponsored) since we refrigerate it anyway. The rest of the transaction went just as any other one would have.

After her sandwiches came up, I went to go give her the food she ordered. When I walked over to her, she didn’t say anything. She was just standing there nodding her head with her lips pressed together like she was trying to hold back something. I asked her if she was okay and she just broke down. Right there in the middle of the store. She told me her mom was in hospice and things were not looking good for her. Then she just came in for a hug and held me and told me how she was having the worst day and I was so nice to her and made her feel special. I told her I was very sorry for what she going through. She tried to tip me a couple dollars and I told her that we are not supposed to accept tips but that I appreciated the gesture. She kept insisting and finally I told her I would take it. This lady was just trying to show her generosity and I wasn’t going to throw her money back at her and tell her no. Especially after the kind of day she had. Then she took her food and left.

I literally stood there speechless trying to process this strange but super personal interaction I had just had with this lady. I had to walk in the back and compose myself for a second (I’m a sympathetic crier so this was kind of hard for me to keep it together). This wasn’t the first time this had happened to me either. Last month, I sat with a lady that came in with her kids who had a breakdown because her husband had been gone for almost a week working on the power lines after the hurricane hit and she was just exhausted. Yes, she made me want to cry too…

Everyone has heard phrases like “be sure to smile at everyone because you don’t know what they are going through”. But like really, you have no idea. And why people feel like they can be vulnerable with this chick who just took their order at a restaurant, I’m not sure. In both cases, I wasn’t intending to know things about the personal lives of these women. I noticed they looked upset and asked if they were okay. I try to pray every day that Christ’s love would radiate out of me and that people would be able to see that He has made me into a different person. When situations like this happen, I totally believe it’s because they see that. Christ has given me a desire to love those who need it and be there for the broken hearted. In fact, He calls all of us to do that. Sometimes we are too busy to notice those people though. All they want is for someone to see their hurt and offer help.

I know that working at Chick-fil-a is not the most glamorous job. (I mean I do rock the mess out of my picnic blanket shirt.) But it does put me in contact with so many people I would never run into if I didn’t work there. And honestly, that’s what Chick-fil-a’s mission is. At the end of the day, it’s not about how many sandwiches we sold. It’s about using food as a tool to bring people in and make connections with them. (Maybe I should be sponsored by Chick-fil-a for this.) But that’s how you should see your job or your classes at school too. Yes, it is about making money to pay the bills or making the grades to graduate and get a good job. But it’s also about putting yourself out in the world so you can get to know people and radiate Jesus. It might be kind of scary sometimes and not always the most fun. But people just need to know that someone cares enough to ask.

PS. I would also ask that you keep Mrs. Sam (the lady I met last night) and her family in your prayers. I don’t know if I will ever see or hear from her again but I know she would appreciate the thought!