A certain young man lay near death in the intensive care unit of a hospital after being mugged and severely beaten unconscious.  He later told how he felt himself drifting and weakening, but just as he was about to let go he heard his mother at his bedside calling his name, “Joel!  Joel!  Joel!  I love you!”

He said he could feel strength flowing back into him, but then gradually the tide would ebb until he was almost gone.  Again, he could hear his mother’s words, his father’s voice, and many members of the family as they leaned close and said, “Joel!  Joel!  We love you!  We’re praying for you.  You can make it!”  Again and again, he said, the pattern repeated itself until his condition finally stabilized. As his recovery continued, Joel related the experience to his doctor.  The doctor said, “What if they had not called you by name?  What if they had not been there in love?” [1]

Have you had someone calling your name in love?

Is there someone who may be losing hope, sliding into a slough of despair, whose name you need to call in love?

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1. Donald J. Shelby, “Where Love Knows Our Name,” May 10, 1987.