Day #25: MAKE A HOSPITAL VISIT (31 Days to a Better Deacon Wife)
Day #25 Make a hospital visit. Take your new business card.
TODAY’S ASSIGNMENT: Make a visit to someone in the hospital.
Call your church office to ask if any member of your church is in the hospital. Plan to make a hospital visit to see them today. Even better, accompany your husband to visit them, or call another deacon’s wife to go along with you.
Your personal business cards should have arrived by now, so be sure that you have a few in your handbag. You’ll be leaving one with the patient, and maybe even with a nurse or doctor or the roommate of the person you’re visiting.
When you arrive in the hospital parking lot, take a moment to pray. Ask God to use you to show His love and care as you visit.
Find a comforting Scripture verse that might encourage the patient, and write it on your business card. You might take a copy of last Sunday’s church bulletin or a card signed by several church members, a flower from your garden, or a good book you just finished reading that you could share. If you expect that the patient’s spouse might be there, you might stop by Sonic and pick up a cold drink or take a snack or reading material for their enjoyment. Actually, though, it’s not at all necessary that you take a gift. The greatest gift you can give is the gift of friendship and care.
Your visit should probably be brief. The person is sick, after all. You’ll be surprised at what a small effort it takes to show God’s love to a church member who is in the hospital. Before you leave, ask if you can pray with them, then voice a short prayer asking for God’s peace and comfort and protection and joy.
You probably don’t realize how much your visit will mean to the church member who is in the hospital. As a pastor’s wife, I often heard patients express delight that a deacon or deacon’s wife had stopped by. You are an important leader in your church, and your expression of love will make a difference. Your visit will not only express your Christian love and concern, but you also represent your pastor, your church and your Lord. What a privilege!
Bonus assignment: Be kind to a nurse while you’re there.
“I was sick and you took care of me…” Matthew 25:36
Read specific instructions for how to make a hospital visit in Diana’s boook, Fresh Ideas for Women’s Ministry, and find more ideas for deacon wives at Deacon Magazine (LifeWay) and Deacon wives—Fresh Ideas to Encourage Your Husband and the Church (B&H Publishing).