WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT — a practical manual on how to visit the sick. Brian has given us a number of instructive concepts to consider. But unless the rubber meets the road, all of this effort is nothing more than intellectual gymnastics. So here are my questions to you: Are you willing to stick your neck out and do it? Are you willing to risk your comfort to care for those in need?
Let me illustrate why it is better to risk rejection than to play it safe. It comes from the world of medicine, the world in which I live and work each day. If a surgeon ever tells you he has never taken out a normal, healthy appendix, you will want to think twice before using his services. Why? Because the task of diagnosing appendicitis is not all that exact. A good surgeon will do his best but will occasionally miss. So if you meet a surgeon who has never taken out a normal appendix, the truth is that he has probably missed a few cases over the years. In other words, for a person to be healed, a doctor needs to take the risk.
Likewise, when you visit a sick person, you must take a risk. You will need to risk delving into the uncertain waters of a gospel presentation. Yes, you may get shot down in your efforts, but if you never risk your comfort or pride in sharing this news, you will never see the healing power of the gospel either. Like a surgeon who sometimes takes out a normal appendix, your efforts may not always go as you hope they will; yet in the end, it is far better to have a bruised ego than to be disobedient to our Lord’s command to share the gospel and comfort the sick. So take the risk and share the good news. You won’t regret it.
Brian has given us useful tools in this book, and I encourage you to use them. The proverbial ball is now in your court.
A very blessed dad,
William V. Croft, MD