I.C.U.

Last week, my family spent several days in Georgetown’s I.C.U. with my dad. He’s now home and recovering nicely, thank you for asking. But while we were there, I learned some interesting things about hospital life, and I thought it might be wise to share them with you, just in case you ever have to spend time in the I.C.U. with a loved one. So with no further ado, here are just a few things I learned from our time in the I.C.U.

1. One can survive several days on Starbucks coffee and a granola bar.
2. Spending more than two days without leaving the hospital is a great excuse to run up to the local mall and buy a new outfit. Trust me. No one will argue with you about it.
3. If you have toothpaste but no toothbrush, a finger works almost as well.
4. Starbucks coffee is the nectar of the gods.
5. If you go to the hospital cafeteria often enough, they’ll start giving you the employee discount.
6. If you’ve ever envied an infant’s ability to fall asleep, anytime, anywhere, spend four days in the ICU. After that, you really will sleep like baby.
7. See # 4.

1. No matter how tired you are, always be sweet to the nurses. They have access to coffee, pillows, blankets, and all sorts of other life-sustaining goodies.
2. They want you think I.C.U. stands for Intensive Care Unit, but that’s not really what it means. If you take a close look at those flimsy, backless hospital gowns, you’ll know it’s really code for “I-See-You.”
3.  Watching a heart/blood pressure monitor can be almost as entertaining as “Dancing With the Stars.”
4.  Don’t sit on the I.C.U. bed unless you want everyone in the room to know how much you weigh.
5.  See # 7.

It’s not any fun watching someone you love suffer, and sometimes, when we’re going through something like that, we can question God’s goodness. But God is always good, in spite of the fact that we live in a fallen, broken world that’s full of sickness and disease and crime and natural disasters and all sorts of other bad things.

Did you hear me? God is always, always good.

Period.

He showed His goodness to our family last week by surrounding us with skilled doctors and nurses who helped my dad get better. He showed His goodness by answering the prayers of many, many friends and family members on Dad’s behalf. God shows His goodness by rejoicing with us in the good times, by weeping with us in the hard times, and by never, ever leaving our sides during all the in-between times.

He demonstrates His goodness every time another person shows they care. And He works through us, every time we show kindness to others. Sometimes God moves mountains and works miracles, but most often, He makes His presence known through ordinary people like you and me, as we do what we can to share His love.

In a way, we all spend time in God’s I.C.U. every day, for His care for us really is intensive. And honestly, God’s I.C.U. isn’t really a bad place to be, at all.

“Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases,”             Psalm 103:2.