Quality not Quantity – By Bill Wagner

In my mind most often, more is better. That seems to be our American culture overall. Go to dinner anymore and your serving is so big you have a meal for the next three days, but was the quality of the food really that good?  This is the wrong way to look at things. Sure, there is a time when more is better but most often quality should come before quantity. Such was the case as I look back on this day in Guatemala. We made two home visits. Two is a small number however two is far from insignificant and in this case two was just the right number. The first home visit presented us the opportunity to meet Maria, mother to seven with one on the way. Her husband had passed in a motorcycle accident only months prior. It was overwhelming quite honestly. Your head is spinning trying to figure out how she is keeping it together, whatever “it is” because at first glance, there isn’t much to keep together. I’ve learned over the years of visiting Guatemala and specifically making home visits that it often takes the entire visit to “get the full picture” and that is the case here as well. Maria shared her story and like most, it was hard. You could tell she wished she could turn back the clock and do things differently.  However, as she shared, she’d come to realize that even during that painful period of her life, God was present, it just wasn’t apparent to her at the time. Now was another time in her life that God’s presence wasn’t exactly front and center, but you could tell she was searching for it. As she shared about each of her children, the three eldest being boys, each working to help support the family, then onto the younger children, God began to show up as the Great Comforter, in the form of her children. She was not alone, and they were not without their mother and to a large extent the children’s father was present to. It was clear he left his eldest sons with the understanding of responsibility and caring.  Something that is serving them as they honor him and their mother by being present and something that will serve them when they become husbands and fathers. God showed up before we got there, she just didn’t see it right away but the more she talked and listened He drew closer to her, all of us in fact. On the second visit we met a young man, his wife and two daughters. He had a motorcycle accident that destroyed his lower leg. Not an over statement as he showed us the injury. An injury that even here in the US would present challenges. Much prayer is required as well as much practical support to ensure he has the best chance to keep his leg and restore his ability to work so he can continue to be the provider. Through our time together I could see fear and uncertainty in their faces, but I also sensed there was a degree of calmness. I’m not sure how that was possible, as I doubt that I could have held it together had that been me. The home they were in was offered to them by the brother of the wife. Family was present during our visit and while there wasn’t much that they could do to help the recovery process, they were there to support in many other ways. Getting to and from doctors’ appointments, helping with the girls and the simple act I am sure of trying to get from wheelchair to bed or to the outdoor toilet. There is no way the wife could handle her husband without the loving help of family. We need that help as well, more than we think. I wonder if I’ve taken the presence of family for granted too-often without even thinking about it. I don’t see how in their situation taking even the smallest thing, let alone the presence of family for granted is possible. There is something to be said for that. We all need to be mindful of things in our lives that we might be taking for granted and resist the temptation to allow that to happen. Too much can be swept away all too quickly.

Bill Wagner