Submitted by Rev. Karen Kaser-Odor
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. - Romans 12:12 ESV
All our days are different. Even in our household where Rick continues to work nights as a nurse in the Salisbury VA Emergency Department and I continue to work as a Chaplain for Hospice of Stanly and the Uwharrie, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought countless changes. Yet God is always present.
For all the years I have served as a hospice chaplain, many of the folk I care for speak of all the things they can no longer do. Frequently, they feel lost or useless or angry. Illness has taken away most of the ways they shared the gifts God has given them. Some mourn these losses more than they grieve the certain possibility of death.
When I ask folk about their prayer life, most speak of regularly talking with God. Yet it is a revelation when I remind them of how praying for others is an important gift. Prayer is something we can always do. We can pray for others no matter our circumstances. Lives are made better by prayer – the lives of those we lift in prayer and our lives.
In the midst of the challenges of today, we can feel lost or useless or angry. We grieve the loss of what used to be. We can feel like we have nothing to offer. You do have something to offer – prayer.
Every day, I simply lift the names of my co-workers, my patients and their families to God and visualize God’s peace in their lives. I cannot turn back time and fix their lives. I can offer them the peace of Christ that passes all understanding. In doing so, I find peace as well.
I invite you to take time each day to simply offer the names of friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, our pastor, church staff and others to God. In doing so, may you find peace as well.
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