Have you literally prayed over your workplace?

Nurses Spirituality

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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 Heme Onc.

OP... so if one of your co-workers were a satanist, you'd be cool with them lurking around your desk doing weird stuff while you weren't there? I'll take my response off the air.

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OP... so if one of your co-workers were a satanist you'd be cool with them lurking around your desk doing weird stuff while you weren't there? I'll take my response off the air.[/quote']

I think the thing to keep in mind as that NO ONE knows what anyone does or thinks or prays about unless told about it. Maybe there IS a Satanist who is fervently praying about you: you don't know about it, right?

Maybe there's some right-wing nutcase who prays every day that I will accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. So what? As long as he/she doesn't talk to me about it, doesn't involve me in that personal issue (not MY personal issue, as I'm not the one who feels compelled to pray for someone else daily!)....I can hardly care WHAT he/she does.

I suppose if you felt that someone's praying about you really WILL "do something" to/about/for you....what difference does it make in your life?

I think I'd actually see the humor in it if I found a Satanist co-worker "doing weird stuff" while I wasn't there....I mean, I don't believe any of that would have any power WHATSOEVER, I believe it an utter waste of time (prayers to a deity that doesn't exist).....so....they can knock themselves out "doing weird stuff" all they want, LOL!

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Specializes in Heme Onc.

It does make a difference in my life. The point of my post is to provide the OP with a sense of perspective about how someone might be uncomfortable with another person ritualizing their belongings and spaces. Despite the fact that the OP acts with good intentions, he coworkers are still entitled to their own boundaries.

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It does make a difference in my life. The point of my post is to provide the OP with a sense of perspective about how someone might be uncomfortable with another person ritualizing their belongings and spaces. Despite the fact that the OP acts with good intentions he coworkers are still entitled to their own boundaries.[/quote']

Ok, I understand. Keep going back to the same thing, though: if you do not know this has occurred, it CANNOT affect you. Now, if the OP does this while her coworkers are around....or has informed them this will be done when they are not around....that's a different thing, and the OP can and should expect clear repercussions from that behavior. But much like no one can know (and therefore cannot be upset) if someone prays about them unless they are TOLD this is happening....we get back to "how does it hurt them"?

Bear in mind I'm about as defensive as it gets when it comes to my personal space, and my personal workspace. I don't even let people put things on my desk, I point to the Inbox or whatever spot it is SUPPOSED to be dropped in/on. But maybe there is a colleague of mine who spends her off-time praying about me. Maybe she stands in the hall outside my office after I go home (and the department is closed) and therefore not only do *I* not see her...no one else does either. Was she there? Not? Who cares?

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Hmmm, I've made the sign of the cross when I hear ambulances/fire trucks out and about when I worked in downtown Phoenix, but it was more out of habit from my militant Catholic upbringing than actual religious significance.

I don't pray, nor care to, but I do believe in the positive power that spirituality can play in a person if they believe in that stuff. Just not for me.

I'd rather not have people pray over me personally, especially without permission...course I've gotten plenty of tiny Catholic gramma patients telling me they're praying for me to save my soul or something of that sort. Good for them; gives them something to do and I can get on with my life of doing my work. ;P

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Yes I have. I don't do it every day or anything but I have done it and if it's what God is calling you to do, you should do it. God hangs out in healthcare, and I seem to find him around every corner some days.

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Sticking to the OP topic question without getting all critical or judgemental or trying to offend anyone, yes I have prayed.

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Specializes in Critical care.

We have had plenty of crazy nurses either praying or laying crystals on people. eventually they get fired for one thing or another.

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Not concerned about that at all. As far as I'm concerned, they are false "gods", and the only One I'm concerned about praying to is greater than any other. Also, please note that I said something about people not necessarily knowing if I pray for them. I don't go around asking, I don't pray out loud, etc. , but if I am led to do so, I will. If I ask someone if they are okay if I pray for them and they say "no", then I respect that, at least out loud. They won't know if I do silently. No, that's not dishonest, but it could be life changing for that person. Not really sure why it troubles people to be prayed for, but it seems to. And, that's each person's prerogative .

For whom? The patient? Well, when I become your patient, please do not ever ask for my permission to pray for me. Pray for me if you like it. If you bring it up, you put me in a situation that I have to say "yes" or "no". I come from a different culture, where people's religion is really private. When you invade that personal, sacred, yet fragile space, you can certainly expect consequences. This Vietnamese patient definitely will speak up. When I am sick, I don't appreciate having to make a choice of being either blunt and rude or polite and lying.

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Specializes in CVICU, MICU, Burn ICU.
For whom? The patient? Well, when I become your patient, please do not ever ask for my permission to pray for me. Pray for me if you like it. If you bring it up, you put me in a situation that I have to say "yes" or "no". I come from a different culture, where people's religion is really private. When you invade that personal, sacred, yet fragile space, you can certainly expect consequences. This Vietnamese patient definitely will speak up. When I am sick, I don't appreciate having to make a choice of being either blunt and rude or polite and lying.

I havn't read this thread -- just this comment, so only speaking to this last comment. This is a good reminder that even asking can be insensitive. That said, I have been in situations where I wanted to be able to give more comfort to a scared or grieving patient. In these circumstances, maybe it would be appropriate to ask the patient what they think might help... music, imagery, reading from a book, jokes, prayer? If the answer is prayer (or whatever), it should be able to happen ... but maybe lumping it in there with a couple of other choices would help the patient not feel pressure? Sometimes there is not time for a chaplain or family member to get there when the patient most needs deeper emotional support. It's good for nurses to have some tools handy when that happens.

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