Healing Service

In his book Through the Valley of the Kwai, Ernest Gordon tells a story about a time he served as a British soldier during World War II. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese in Burma, and it was in the P.O.W. camp that Gordon met a soldier nicknamed “Dodger.” Dodger suffered chronic pain from stomach ulcers. More than that, he suffered from deep despair. In fact, his fellow prisoners feared the despair would kill him before the ulcers would. But at some point, Dodger converted to Christianity, and one of the first things he did was to look around for a way he could be of service.

The most repulsive job in camp was collecting the rags the prisoners used as bandages to cover the sores on their arms and legs. Once collected, the rags had to be scraped clean of infection and then boiled, before being returned so others could use them. “A smelly, unpleasant job it was,” Gordon writes, “but Dodger volunteered for it. Regularly I would see him going from hut to hut, carrying his can of rags, and whistling as he walked.”

Gordon’s story reminds me that there is something about service to others that is redemptive and healing. There is something about getting outside of ourselves by giving that adds meaning and depth to life. I think this is part of what Jesus meant when he said, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it…”

Let us pray: Even in the midst of heartache and suffering, O God; even during trial and tribulation; even under the weight of anxiety and stress, show us ways to serve others. And, as we give selflessly, open our eyes to your expanding kingdom. Fill us again with deeper meaning and grace; for we pray today in the name of the One who gave even his life for us. Amen.