The night watch

Businesses have not yet fully recovered and another virus variant threat comes. There was a brief window of time and recovery when people went out of their homes, foot traffic in the malls increased, but then another variant came along and necessitated another lockdown. Who would not feel anxious, tired, and just downright depressed at this moment? The answer is,  you cannot afford to be, especially during these times. We need all the inspiration and encouragement we can get.

Here is a story I have kept with me for years. It inspires me a lot, and I hope it does you too. This story is entitled ‘Night Watch,‘ written by Roy Popkin. So here is the story:

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. “Your son is here,” she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes opened. Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young, uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand.

The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man’s limp fingers, squeezing a message of love and encouragement. The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed.

All through the night, the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man’s hand, and offering him words of love and strength.

Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile, but he refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital – the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients. Now and then, she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited. Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her. “Who was that man?” he asked.

The nurse was startled, “He was your father,” she answered.

“No, he wasn’t,” the Marine replied. “I never saw him before in my life.”

“Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?”

“I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn’t here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me. I stayed.”

And the story ended with the following words: “The next time someone needs you...be there. Stay. You’ll be glad you did.”

Well, this is that time when a lot of people need all the help they can get. This is also the time when you and I need to show compassion. Things have been difficult, but this is the time that leaders need to show empathy and care for their people. Things are also tough for everyone in the family, so this is the time to be patient, understanding, and loving. And when there is an opportunity for us to reach out and be a source of blessing (material), encouragement (morale), and inspiration (spiritual), this is the time to do so. Because “The next time someone needs you...be there. Stay. You’ll be glad you did.”

This is the time to offer ourselves as blessings and reach out to those in need. The pandemic has caused a lot of pain to many. It should not be too hard for us to look for an opportunity to help and be a source of blessing, encouragement, and inspiration, and when we do, we will experience joy in our hearts and be glad we did.

A Blessed Christmas to you and your family.

(Francis Kong’s podcast “Inspiring Excellence” is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or other podcast streaming platforms.)