“…Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Mt. 22:39
Call me proud and biased. I am. Call this bragging. I am. My Dad, who tried to retire after decades of being an AMAZING doctor, in my estimate anyway, is still in medicine. Helping patients, and other health-care practitioners. Seems to be in his bones. His blood. His makeup. I can’t possibly forget decades ago growing up in my family witnessing my Dad go to exceeding lengths to help his chronically ill patients. One particular memory from decades ago popped into my mind one day. With it came a wonderful lesson, inspiration, and encouragement for those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. About “doing rounds.”
“Your father is doing rounds,” my beloved Mom would say about my beloved Dad. She would tell me and my brother, who is now himself in the health-care profession, that our Dad was “doing rounds,” or “making rounds.” Married for nearly 55 years now, my parents have always kept close tabs on what the other was, or is, doing. Like when my Dad “did rounds.” Doing rounds? Going from patient to patient, whoever his patients were at the time, checking on each of them. Not waiting for them to come to him with needs. But like any good doctor, reaching out to them. How were they? Improving? Going downhill? In need of something? Help? More care? To be discharged? Different meds? Just as my parents so lovingly have cared for one another, my Dad lovingly, diligently, devotedly kept on top of what his patients needed and how he could help.
Why did the memory return decades later? The Holy Spirit has taught me to “do rounds” with the people God places in my life. Because I do streets ministry, there is a never-ending flow of people with whom I cross paths. Led by God’s Spirit, I reach out to those He places on my heart. To love, pray for, call, e-mail, visit, bless, give scriptures to, encourage, help to find and follow Christ, etc. I can’t possibly keep up with them all because as an evangelist and writer there are always more.
So I wait on the Lord, listen for His Spirit, and follow His lead in making “rounds”. We live in a busy, self-centered world in which it’s far too easy to become so consumed with our own agendas and those closest to us that we neglect to reach out led by God’s Spirit with Christ’s love to the world around. Should we not for God’s glory “make rounds” in Christ’s love? We should, shouldn’t we? Are you?