And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

(Hebrews 13:16 NIV).

Having just finished training as a hospital switchboard operator, John felt prepared. Code Blue meant cardiac arrest. Code Red meant fire. There were codes for everything, and he was confident he had them all memorized. Then, on his first night alone, a nurse called and asked him to page a “Code Brown, Room 214.”

Panic set in. He announced the code over the system, then frantically flipped through the emergency manual. Nothing. No Code Brown. Finally, bracing himself for embarrassment, he called the nurse back to ask what he had somehow missed.

She laughed. “Relax,” she said. “A Code Brown is what we page when a patient is discharged and leaves behind an unfinished box of chocolates!”

When patients leave the hospital, they often leave something behind. Sometimes it’s chocolate. Sometimes flowers. Sometimes a thank-you card or a word of gratitude. The best discharges are the ones where something good remains for others to enjoy.

Scripture reminds us that our lives are meant to leave something behind as well. When we move on from a place or a relationship, there ought to be some evidence of grace left in our wake.  We all pass through homes, workplaces, classrooms, and churches every day.  The question is not whether we will leave something behind, but what it will be.

Will it be bitterness or kindness?  Stress or peace?  Hurt feelings or encouragement?  A mess someone else has to clean up, or a small gift that makes their day sweeter?

Jesus consistently left “chocolates” behind wherever he went. He left behind healed bodies, compassion for the marginalized, and changed hearts.  He left behind a promise of the Holy Spirit, faith where doubt once lived, and a cross-shaped example.

Like Jesus, we need to leave something good behind. A kind word. A sincere prayer.  A note of encouragement.  A quiet act of service done without recognition.

One day, we will all be “discharged” from this life. When that day comes, what will be left behind?  May it be said that wherever we went, a little grace remained on the table, like an unfinished box of chocolates, reminding others that Christ had been there.

Prayer: Lord, help me to walk through this world with intention, leaving behind traces of your grace wherever I go. May I leave every room a little better than I found it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day