offence

The nurse wasn't all that pleased when I looked in at the hospital today. (I love the entrance to this hospital! I always imagine the folk who live inside the little house waking up one morning to find that some naughty prankster has built a set of stilts beneath their floor!)

"Do you know when the visiting hours are?" she asked.

Which I did. Roughly speaking, anyway. And by that time, yes, I knew I was way beyond the limits.

And, yes, I know they've got their job to do and they're not always helped by people like me wandering in. That's why they have the visiting hours, obviously.

This was a pastoral visit, I explained. And I can't always fit all the visits I'm wanting to make into neat little blocks of time which suit the hospital. Was it OK by them if I carried on?

I'm a sook at times. I don't ever like to offend or cause trouble for others. I bend over backwards to be ever so courteous when faced by a thing like this.

But I'm not that sure this nurse was into courtesy. She had a job to do. And I was perhaps the very last straw in a day which was doubtless a strain.

She let me in to see the person, anyway. I must smile quite sweetly at times! And I was profuse in my thanks, whatever the problems I'd caused.

The person I saw was quite overwhelmed. She hadn't expected me in. It meant a lot to her. It was as if the Lord himself had ambled in to be beside the woman in her need.

I was glad I'd gone in and glad that I'd persisted even though in terms of visiting I crossed the line. The Lord was there and at work.

Sometimes we just have to live with this, the fact that we cause offence. Not needless offence. But offence, sometimes, in making Jesus known and going where he leads.

He was exactly the same.