We spent time with a super sweet Swedish lady named Antonia this month. She’s been in Cambodia for two years and makes me think of my Grandma. She understands the importance of taking care of the sick and letting people know that they aren’t forgotten. She goes out of her way to provide for people and see how they are doing. She thinks of herself last but always asks people to join her. She just loves people.
She’s 5’5”, about 100lbs and sits on the back of a motorcycle holding a two-gallon jug of juice or milk in each hand. She doesn’t care about her comfort; she cares about others.
So when she asked if we wanted to join her at the hospital to pray for the sick and take the presents, we jumped at the opportunity. She gave us a bunch of suggestions of gifts, but insisted that we take teams ketchup bags. I couldn’t really understand why. We assumed that it was because the hospital served bland food so it added flavor. After searching the local store, we couldn’t find any and settled on Ritz Crackers instead.
A few weeks later a teammate, Carrie, is talking to another woman who visits the hospital and calls me over. Carrie asks me what item Antonia insisted we buy and I told her ketchup bags. Well, come to find out, as the other lady told me, my hard of hearing (literally, sometimes I hear a different word that doesn’t make any sense) heard ketchup bag when she actually said tea bags. Although slightly embarrassing, it was more humorous.
It gave us a good laugh to think that we searched the local store for something that wasn’t there, that we shouldn’t expect to be there. We got weird looks from employees who had reason to not know at all what we were asking for. It also would have been hilarious to see the look on Antonia’s face if we had shown up to go to the hospital with bags of ketchup. Knowing her, she would have been cordial about it and found some great way to make it work.
As I write this, I can’t seem to shake the question of why this happened. Not over thinking it, or overanalyzing it. But really, why did we go searching for ketchup bags even though it made no sense at all? I think it was because of this lady’s compassion and care for these hospital people. Compassion and passion are influential. People follow it and want to be a part of it. It motivates people to act and gives people something to fight for.
It was her heart, and compassion for these people that influenced us to do something that didn’t make any sense. Her genuine heart rubbed off on us, causing us to want to care for these people in a similar way. Her request that seemed ridiculous made us want to have a ridiculous compassion for these people. I mean, really, who would say a ketchup bag would be really something that would just make them so happy?! It’s not usually on the list of gifts to give or receive.
The flip side of this is true, also. People watch people more often than we think. Often our standards for how we act and what we expect of people is influenced by what we see others do and what others see us do. So I challenge you to increase your expectation and standards for yourself. Start caring and having deeper compassion for other people and see how those closest to you respond. Raising our standards for ourselves can be difficult, and sometimes annoying, especially if the ones we have now work. But the Lord is constantly calling us into more and I believe we are a people who desire growth into all that we are made to be. See what the Lord has for you and what standards he is calling you to. Be the one to open the door, offer your French fries to a homeless man, talk to the student who sits by himself. Raise your standards then see how others raise theirs too.
