Have you literally prayed over your workplace?

Nurses Spirituality

Published

Feeling called to pray over my workplace.

I will go from one desk to the other, praying for each worker. I will pray over the charts for our patients as a whole. I am able to do it when the office is empty.

Any thoughts? If you have done this, did you do it alone? What were the results?

Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

I am a religious person but don't much like religiosity. After reading the OP Again I got a sort of funny mental picture of a nurse coming in after everyone was gone and sprinkling Holy water (A Catholic thing) while burning incense and praying over charts. Although I love what I do I have a full life outside of work and can't leave the facility fast enough much less come in after hours to pray over charts.......

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.
I After reading the OP Again I got a sort of funny mental picture of a nurse coming in after everyone was gone and sprinkling Holy water (A Catholic thing) while burning incense and praying over charts. ......

This is a ridiculously inaccurate description of the practice of the Roman Catholic faith and highly offensive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
This is a ridiculously inaccurate description of the practice of the Roman Catholic faith and highly offensive.

Did not mean to offend - I have been a practicing Catholic most of my life until just a few years ago. My strongest memories of childhood with regard to religion was being whacked by nuns, sprinkled wi Holy Water and of course the smell of incense.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

If you did this over my desk, I would ask you to stop. If you persisted, I would be making a call.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Wow. I'm not an atheist, but I reject your particular brand of Christianity. Threatening that someone will burn in hell unless they subscribe to YOUR train of thought seems a little un-Christian-like to me.

Maybe someone should start a "Christian only" thread. Atheist...stay out and keep your negative comments to yourself. If you want to suffer eternity burning in Hell for not being being a Christ follower, that's your problem.

Christians care enough about you to try to save you from that. But if you reject salvation....so be it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
Feeling called to pray over my workplace.

I will go from one desk to the other, praying for each worker. I will pray over the charts for our patients as a whole. I am able to do it when the office is empty.

Any thoughts? If you have done this, did you do it alone? What were the results?

I thought you meant you were going to rent a helicopter and pray OVER your workplace, literally...

But no, I've not done that. I don't mind if you do so privately and on your own time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice.

Pray over the work place all you want, privately. Praying for your coworkers is cool, too - privately. Praying over the people in the workplace is a problem.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In response to the original post, original question/topic in this thread, "No, I have never done this" pretty much sums it up for me.

Beyond that, when the OP asks for thoughts on this topic, I guess I'd go with the idea that if the people whose desks you are going to are not present when you are doing this...in fact, do not ever KNOW you are doing this...I don't see how it's much of an issue. Where you are likely to HAVE an issue is if one of those co-workers catches wind of what you are doing on/near their personal spaces and it does offend them. You have no reason to be going to private workspaces, and in fact should be held accountable for overstepping (if that's what you're doing: opening office doors, sneaking inside?). If you are merely going to a work station that is used by multiple people and NO ONE is around, then I really don't see much of a concern.

*I* personally do not feel as you do. I do not feel that your prayers will affect my life one way or the other. MY personal beliefs, my relationship with G-d, actually, cannot be impacted by whatever you do or do not do "on my behalf". Your view of religion and such does not seem compatible with my own, BUT as long as you are not seeking to interact with me about them....are not trying to push an agenda on me, personally....are not "informing" me that my way of going about my spiritual life is "wrong"....I suppose I don't care much if you do what you're doing on your own time.

If it makes you feel better and does NOT bug anyone else....so what? Just be aware of where that line is, and that even making your presence known (or letting it be known that this is your activity) COULD bring about repercussions.

Question out of curiosity: why could any of this not be achieved simply by praying in your own home or church? Why MUST you be near someone's desk to do this? It seems odd to me.....as my prayers, I believe, are heard no matter where on Earth I happen to be located.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

Methinks the concern the OP had was her physically walking over to a co-workers desk and saying her prayers. Like many others have said, I wouldn't mind if I didn't know about it.

I would add my opinion that any god worth praying to would be able to figure out who you meant to pray for without having to walk over to their desk and point them out so you're just doing it for yourself. Making a big show of praying is one of the messages Jesus cautioned against for the people of his day.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.
I thought you meant you were going to rent a helicopter and pray OVER your workplace, literally...

Would a drone work?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Methinks the concern the OP had was her physically walking over to a co-workers desk and saying her prayers. Like many others have said, I wouldn't mind if I didn't know about it.

I would add my opinion that any god worth praying to would be able to figure out who you meant to pray for without having to walk over to their desk and point them out so you're just doing it for yourself. Making a big show of praying is one of the messages Jesus cautioned against for the people of his day.

It occurs to me that if someone DID have to point out "this is Sally, she needs some serious Divine help"...then it would be more of a concern to me that G-d had no idea who Sally was than what someone else thought she 'needed', know what I mean?

I also seem to remember something about Jesus having said that G-d could be found anywhere, one did not have to go to a designated house of worship to find Him. Something along the lines of "turn a stone, I am there...lift a stick, I am there.." or something along those lines. Not my Testament, lol, but I think the idea is that one does not have to *BE* someplace specific in order for prayers to be heard. Which makes me, too, think that if the OP feels she needs to be at her colleagues' desks to pray, it's probably more about HER than her colleagues, IMHO.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Would a drone work?

Oy. You are so bad!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment