As I’ve mentioned before, my physical exercise these days consists of struggling to get from one room to another on my walker. It is enough exertion to increase my heart rate and have me panting for a minute or two, but doesn’t seem to be enough to burn off all of the calories I consume; even eating just two meals a day. I’ve come a long way from that skinny kid trying to bulk up by lifting weights my freshman year of high school. Fortunately, I read somewhere that the best exercise to strengthen heart muscles is by lifting someone else’s spirit. Now that is an exercise I can still do and I love to work out in that way. It is also a very important part of living a healthy Christian life.
For several years now, I’ve had caregivers come to my home on weekdays to help me with chores I can no longer do. They are paid by the VA and by the State through Catholic Charities. I am blessed by the fact that their efforts allow me to stay comfortably in my own home. Many of them have been Christians, with whom I can openly share my blog and my spiritual journey. Others have been non-believers with a heart for serving others. I have lovingly exposed them to my Christian life and planted a few seeds of faith that I hope will take root. In either case, I have made a conscious effort to make them feel better when they leave my home than when they arrive. I do this by maintaining a pleasant, caring atmosphere and by showing them my sincere appreciation for everything they do for me. As a result, I am still in close contact with some of them who no longer work for the agency. In a real sense, I feel I am also a care giver because I do care about each of them.
This is nothing new for me. Since I have been walking the Christian journey, I have tried to encourage and lift the spirit of everyone I meet, even total strangers. Dale Carnegie has said, “You may forget the kind words you have spoken, but they may be remembered by the recipient for the rest of their life.” As Christians, I believe there are people who remember their brief encounter with us with fondness, even though they don’t even know our name.
The most rewarding spirit lifting occurs when we interact with Christian friends or family members. The men I meet on Saturday morning for breakfast have all expressed that they feel much better after being together and so do I. There are also wonderful Christian women who God has placed in my life. We will make a quick call to each other “just to see how things are going” and an hour and a half later we are still sharing. No matter what either of us is going through before the call, we always find something to laugh about together and I always feel much better when we finally say goodbye and I know they feel the same. That is what true Christian fellowship is all about; lifting each other up with encouragement and prayer. That is what it looks like when we follow Jesus’ teaching to love God with all that is in us and then love our neighbors. Care giving is a means of sharing our love and we will always get back more than we give.