"I Don't Want to be Anywhere Else but Here."

 "I don't want to be anywhere else but here."  My wife is at the beach right now and I can see her saying that.  Some people are vacationing, others are in pools, Disney World, a Yankees game, any type of enjoyable situation you can imagine and I can see any of them making that statement, "I don't want to be anyone else but here.  If it wasn't me here, God would have someone else here."  But those words that are ringing in my thoughts right now where spoken by a sixty year old man who was laying in bed at Hope Hospice.

His name is Mr. White and from what he told me today he had lived a life where he would never have that kind of peace before he had an encounter with Jesus.  As me and Caleb, a young man traveling with me on this missions trip, walked into his room he immediately wanted to pray for Caleb.  He wanted to encourage a young man to stay strong in the faith, and to go to greater heights.  He was speaking encouragement like he was a seasoned pastor.

Mr. White has ever reason to wish he was anywhere else, but he only wants to be where he is.  He explained to me that God has placed him where God wants him.  My prayer is that I could have that kind of focus, that kind of peace.  In the day to day of the world I live in, I am surrounded by the world always trying to think you need to get more.  Mr. White humbled me today reminding me that what I really need to do is give more.  I gave him a Yankee hat before I left his bedside and he quoted Matthew 25:40 to me, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."  I'm glad it touched him, but Mr. White is not one of the least,  in the kingdom of  Heaven he will be richly rewarded for showing an attitude of gratitude where other simply would not.  In my eyes he is hero.  Lord willing, as we return to Hope Hospice this Friday I think can i say there is no other place in the world i would rather be.