Last month, while playing in a sand volleyball tournament, my daughter, Kelsey, noticed that all play stopped at the same moment. Across the courts, another player was suffering some sort of medical distress. My daughter who is CPR trained waited a beat before responding.
The man had been stung by a bee. Unbeknownst to him, he was highly allergic to bee stings. His body began to swell, he vomited and fell to the ground gripped by a seizure.
My daughter hurried through the crowd and witnessed people trying to force the man to sit up. Someone tried to shove a Claritin under his tongue.
My daughter is a social worker who frequently works in chaotic and dangerous situations with foster youths. She reacts calmly in a crisis situation. With no nonsense and authority, she ordered someone to call 911. The man wasn’t breathing.
Without thought for her own safety (or fear of contracting COVID), she administered CPR and mouth-to-mouth. Someone tried to stop her, urging her to wait for medical help to arrive. Luckily, the 911 operator on speaker phone confirmed that CPR was absolutely critical for this man’s survival.
Kelsey continued CPR until an ambulance and medics arrived to relieve her. Long story short – my amazing daughter kept this man alive with her quick thinking. The man was treated at the hospital and later released. This stranger owes his life to Kelsey.
As my daughter shared this dramatic story, I thought, “Praise God, Kelsey knew what to do and did it without hesitation!” If I were in that situation, even though I know CPR, I would have been utterly useless.
It’s not that I wouldn’t want to help a stranger in need – but medical emergencies are not my forte. I don’t do well with blood or bodily fluids. I could happily call 911, but that is the extent of my expertise.
I have a gift of “helps,” just not in medical situations. If I come to your house for dinner, I will gladly help you set the table or wash or dry dishes. If we are walking together and you drop your water bottle or your lunch tray – I will be the first person to drop to my knees to help you pick things up.
God has blessed us all with unique and individual gifts. I’m one proud mama that Kelsey reacted on instinct based on her gifting. We should never feel shame for lacking a particular gift. I’d like to think that since God is the one who gives us our gifts, He wouldn’t put us in situations (especially life and death ones) that would be beyond our capabilities.
The moral of this story is: Use what God has given you! Look for situations where your specific gifts can be used. Don’t be jealous that you lack a certain gift – but embrace the gifts God has given to YOU. Do everything as unto the Lord. Help where you CAN and rely on others and God to help where you CAN’T.
Blessings In Christ, Kathy K.
What a powerful passage. It was exactly what I was thinking about this week and needed to hear. After listening to a couple of self help type of webinars, I started to reflect on what my fears are. But here, you’re flipping the idea on its head and choosing to think about what God has strengthened us with.