Over the last few years, my father has had many trips to the hospital via ambulance. He is a veteran so with each trip we followed protocol and contacted the VA for pre-authorization of coverage. But with each trip, the ambulance company billed his secondary insurance, which left him with a $250 copay per trip. After struggling for months to resubmit authorization numbers to bill the VA for payment, we began paying the bills just to make them go away.
Recently, my father had yet another visit to the hospital via ambulance. After receiving another set of bills from the ambulance company, I contacted the VA to find out exactly what we needed to do to get these bills paid. I spent 1:40 minutes on the phone with an extremely nice and helpful gentleman who walked me through the process. He even took the time to call the ambulance company direct to provide them with what they needed. As part of this process, my father’s account underwent review to verify coverage.
At this point, most people receive a letter confirming or denying coverage. To my surprise, I received an actual phone call from the VA. The woman on the line was very kind and had an understanding of how hard it is on families and wanted to personally talk to those who were receiving denials. Through the tone in her voice, you could feel the heart she has for veterans and their families. I was still feeling frustrated and defeated but this act of kindness, allowed me to ask questions and fully understand why the decision was made. I was glad that she took the time to make that phone call.
At this point, it would have been easy to extend a thank you and end our conversation, but the Holy Spirit had other plans. He placed it upon my heart that more than a thank you was necessary. I needed to go one step further and acknowledge how her willingness to step into a difficult situation without regard for herself but solely to help a stranger was courageous, and I appreciated that courage. She was genuinely surprised by my words and you could hear the emotion in her voice when she said how much they had meant to her.
I don’t know if she was a believer, but as a believer, it is so important for us to show the love of Jesus in every part of our lives. When opportunities arise to share your heart, step into those moments. It is easy to show love to people we know, but when we can walk in the light and extend that love in our difficult situations to people we don’t know, it brings glory to God. Trust me, you will be blessed as the Holy Spirit works through you.
So the next time you interact with someone and it is uncomfortable for you, take a second and think how uncomfortable it is for the person on the other end. Acknowledge their sacrifice and share the love of Jesus.
