REFRESHING

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

She was/is a delightful young lady.

On the heels of 3 days of intense “ministry”, recovery, and strategic discussions (please lift my teams in prayer as we embark on some uncharted territory), spending a little coffee time with the 1^st year medical student was a refreshing respite.

Her smile is infectious and her attitude the same.

She was choosing to use some of her “learning” time to better understand addiction and has been spending time in observation and investigation of all the facets of addiction work.  And she has walked away very insightful in my opinion.

And as we discussed resource allocation, WOODHAVEN, the role of faith, our perceived capacity challenges, the nuances of Medically Assisted Treatment and the like, I could not help but be continuously refreshed by the smile!

This is “dark” and “gloomy” work most days.

The statistics bear it out.

The faces that walk into our admissions offices at WOODHAVEN are often gaunt and tired, devoid of sparkle and smiles.  Now we hope to change all that with our program and often do, but at the outset there is a lot of hurt and frown that walks through our door.

We live in precarious times.

10 folks in Ohio will lose their life today to this disease.

Another 50 will need revived for accidental overdosing.

Families will be impacted.

Spouses will be left behind.  Children abandoned.

It is a dark time, a tough time to be in the addiction and recovery world. 

In fact, ER nurses and EMT staffs who I am preparing to address later today are experiencing PTSD rivaling combat veterans.

There is not much to smile about.

That is why hers was such an energy-giver and arm lifter yesterday.

And yet here is the twist to today’s OFH.

As we talked and I learned about her faith, shared a little of my journey, got the scoop on an upcoming wedding; as we closed in prayer, she said how “refreshing” it was to spend time together.  

And here I was being completely refreshed by her!

Brings me to today’s little point or encouragement.

Don’t allow the gloom of your circumstance to rob you of the chance to share life, share hope, share faith, and share Jesus with one another. 

Paul as he was writing to the Romans said in Romans 1:11-12 (ERV),

...I want us to help each other with the faith that we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you. 

That is my encouragement for you today.

Let’s HELP each other with the faith we have.  Our faith will help another and their faith will help us; refresh us! 

When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed… (from 1 Peter 3:9 a tried and true OFH verse for sure!)

Don’t hesitate to share your faith with others today.  

Don’t hesitate to engage in encouraging conversations despite your mood, pressures, or circumstances. 

Invest in others. Smile a little more. Allow time for affirmations.

Trust me, it will bring a special kind of refreshing.

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)

I love you all!

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE