Never Alone

"I will never leave you, nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

There are a lot of lonely people in this world. I stood in church on Sunday, and saw a widowed man, sitting alone after the service, watching the young children run around - him unnoticed. In the hospital, an elderly woman left alone outside radiotherapy in a cold corridor, called out from her stretcher in pain, tired, and needing someone to take her to her room. Ten floors above in my ward, I'd turn to leave my patient's room when she called after me, "Is there anyone...someone who could come talk to me in the evening?" I thought of all the staff, volunteers and nurses who habited the floor around the clock - surrounded by people, but so alone. It hardly seemed right that those, widowed or elderly, who have been through much more than me, had no children or family by their side when they seemed to need it most.

I smiled when I saw the porter coming off the elevator and called back "You'll be upstairs soon", and when the hallway lights had dimmed, I creaked open my patient's door to see if she needed a listening ear. On returning home, I saw a note propped up on mom's dresser. In her fine handwriting she had written a reminder from her own Physician "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Elderly, widows, married or single, we long for reminders of the only One who makes whole to the gap in our soul, and walks with us in the solitary moments of our lives. I pray God gives me His eyes to see the needs around me, and His ears to attend to the voices that tug His heart, so I can freely offer reminders of Him who fills the loneliest of places in every heart.