The King's Invitation

I’m not a fan of country music. But today I became a fan of Jeff Bates, the person.

My wife and I were sitting in a hospital room with our young son, waiting for him to be taken out for yet another test, when a nurse knocked on the door.  She peeped in and told us that Jeff Bates was coming to the children’s play room in a few minutes if we’d like to hear him sing.  I recognized his name, though I must admit I don’t know the names of any of his songs.  We walked down to the play room with our son and sat down with about a half-dozen other kids.  It was easy to see most of the children were weak and tired, and most were in pain.  Some were in wheelchairs.  Some had the parents with them, some were brought in by nurses.  Only a few on this ward were even well enough to be moved.

Jeff Bates and a small “entourage” came in.  This wasn’t a planned concert, in fact there were less than 20 people in the room.  There were no cameras rolling, no screaming crowds, no tickets to buy.  He walked over to a nearby table and opened his black guitar case, and took out his guitar  (to which my 4-year-old said, “cool”).  He looked a bit uncomfortable at first, like he wasn’t sure what to say.  But soon, he was going down the line, talking to each child individually – black, white, male, female.  He asked their names and their ages.  He joked with each one until each one smiled.  Except for one little boy.  He just wouldn’t smile no matter what.

Mr. Bates sang several songs, with nothing but his acoustic guitar as accompaniment.  (People who can do that have always impressed me.)  In between the songs, he continued to interact with the sick and hurting children.  And that one little boy became the focus of his attention until at last, he slipped out a smile, to which everyone in the room applauded.  The singer fished around in his pockets and found enough guitar picks to leave one with each of the children, posed for pictures and signed autographs for a few minutes before saying goodbye.

It was a brief flash of light in an otherwise dark time for those sick children.  I wondered how many other celebrities had passed by that hospital or a similar one, along a busy interstate highway in a state capital city, without ever even thinking about those sick and hurting children inside.  For that matter, how many of us have ever volunteered our time and talents to help and encourage someone in need?  That’s real love.

Take the church to someone this week – you’ll both benefit. 

© 2008 Randall Buchanan

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