Sunday, February 17
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. –Hebrews 11:1
Yesterday, I wrote about our vacation visit to CROW (Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife). At CROW, we saw what a difference a single act of compassion can make. We also were reminded of the limits of our human power.
CROW has developed an extensive program of internships for college and veterinary students and residencies for young veterinarians. The interns and residents live on-site, in student housing adjacent to the hospital. They take turns covering overnight shifts caring for the sickest animal patients.
Their devotion extends beyond their official work shifts. Often, the students take the most vulnerable creatures back to their rooms to care for them overnight. They hand-feed baby squirrels and raccoons and possums all night long.
One of the hardest things, the director told us, is when a student stays up all night caring for a tiny creature and it dies anyway. It happens all too often. That, Steve said, is when the veterinarians on staff face one of their most important teaching roles. Their job is to help the students try again the next night, and the next night, and the next night. One creature has died, but the next one may survive to return to the wild.
Hope cannot be built solely on success. To have hope, we must risk disappointment, over and over again. To have hope, we must face disappointment and loss and even death head on, and dare to trust in the promise of new life.
Give us courage, we pray, to risk disappointment. Give us courage to hope. Amen.