Passing the Baton
— Judy Gustum
Three incidents happened recently that caused people to say to me, “You’re our angel.” I was speechless! I didn’t know how to respond. What extraordinary thing had I done?
Actually ... what I had done was easy — I saw a need and helped someone.
#1 — At choir practice Sam, an elderly retired pastor, struggled with his music, dropping it several times. My husband, sitting next to him, also observed his mental confusion. Sam could not find his place, nor keep up with the music or the demands of the rehearsal.
When the session was over, Sam dropped his car keys three times, even though they were put into his hand each time. Because Sam was in trouble, we decided to follow him safely home. Sam, however, declined any help, saying he would be fine. We followed him anyway, only to observe that when he pulled his car into his driveway, he hit the garage, causing the automatic door to leave its track. The choir director, who had also followed us, assisted in resetting the door so that the garage could be secured for the night. When that was accomplished, we discovered that Sam had again lost his keys and could not get into his house. After we had summoned his wife to the locked door and described Sam’s disorientation to her, we went home.
Then I passed the baton.
I have learned from reading Dr. Jim Kok’s book, The Miracle of Kindness, (2005) that when we act as Christ, i.e., helping other people, we don’t have to do it all. I call this “passing the baton”, as in a foot race in which one runner races, then passes the baton on to the next runner, who in turn, passes the baton on again, until the race is completed.
With Sam, I did what I could (my husband and I got him home) and then I passed the baton (by phone) to another choir member—a nurse, who could recognize the stroke symptoms better than I. Taking the baton I had given to her, she called Sam’s wife, encouraging her to take him to the hospital.
Sam’s wife wanted someone to go with her. My nurse friend would have gladly gone, but her own husband was ill and she needed to stay with him. As a consequence, she, too, passed the baton — this time to a retired pastor and his wife who lived nearby and would be more capable in assisting a fellow retired pastor. These are men who are comfortable giving help, though not necessarily with receiving help. In sum, a series of phone calls put into motion a network of several Christians doing their part, resulting in Sam being taken to the hospital, where he was admitted and given the care he needed.
#2 — A week later, the church Fellowship Club traveled to Valparaiso University (about 30 miles from our town) to attend vesper services. Driving home, we recognized a car stalled on the side of the highway that contained six of our church group. We learned the car had strangely stopped, giving no warning. Fortunately, a cell phone was available for summoning emergency help. It took a few moments for it to register with me that we should be doing more; we should take the baton and rescue the 90-year-old passengers in the car.
Again, I experienced the reluctance of people to accept help. However, we convinced them they should come with us. We carefully led our friends down the weedy, dark highway shoulder to our car and then drove them to the location of their own vehicle. The night was cold; the highway dark; and the wait for the emergency truck turned out to be 2 ½ hours. Furthermore, the tow truck could not have carried all six passengers. The owner and his wife in the stalled vehicle were greatly appreciative of having been relieved of their responsibility for their elderly passengers. In the days that followed, I was called their “angel” many times by the six people involved.
#3 — This week I hosted my church Circle, a group of about a dozen women who meet once a month for breakfast and Bible study. My friend and co-host arrived at my door carrying her breakfast casserole and saying she was out of breath; she could not breathe. She, too, is elderly. I brought her in, sat her down and poured her a cup of coffee. She felt a little better as the other members began arriving. However, my dear friend was extremely quiet, not herself. She said nothing to anyone else about her physical discomfort. However, one of them, the wife in the stalled car situation above, observed her face, and coloring, and after the group broke up, urged her to call a doctor.
Later that afternoon, I went to my friend’s home. She was still complaining of not being able to catch her breath. Two phone calls were evidence of the baton being called into play again. Two friends ministered to a third friend by insisting on medical attention and then driving her to the hospital where she was admitted.
When we act boldly in responding to the needs of our fellow human beings, as Christ did, we are angels—we show the world that we are Christians by our love. We are not serving alone, however; God will call others to share that baton, like runners in a race.
Additionally, we can be assured that when we carry the baton in the process of helping someone, we don’t need to worry about going the entire distance—it is OK to pass it on
Judy Gustum is a past speaker at the Conference on Care and Kindness and will be one of the Plenary Speakers at the Conference in 2008. She is a former teacher, businesswoman, Human Resource Specialist and a keen observer of human behavior. She is a popular speaker, spreading her views on practical applications of the care and kindness principles.
