Nursing, God's Work

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Nursing, God's Work

This is a letter to all the nurses who have spent time with their patient's, holding their hand, calming their spirits, praying for them, comforting them, crying with them, communicating that you care about their body, mental well-being and their spirituality.

Nursing is not just passing meds, analyzing labs, charting, talking to Dr's and family members, changing dressings, etc., etc.... A friend said to me one day "you are doing the Lord's work." It made me stop and think about my purpose in this profession. My decision to become a nurse was to help people; do something meaningful. I suspect it's the same for many other nurses. So what is it that we want to help people with? The obvious is their physical needs. But when you begin to consider who is holding together our existence, our cells and their capacity to work properly, it goes beyond that because there is a dependence on our creator. We have learned the intricacies of the physiology of the human body and considered with awe, the detail it encompasses. Through that learning experience, we've received faith in our creator and realized it's a gift to us that has been nurtured along. The understanding of God's power to heal goes beyond our own capacity. So what else do we desire to help people with? We want them to know that we care about them; even those we don't even know. It's an inherent love towards others that we can't explain.

We are all aware of how others have stereotyped us. We are said to have a type A personality and co-dependency traits. The truth is we are benevolent, empathic, nurturing, compassionate, have a strong sense of urgency, obsessed with our work, aggressive, competitive, intense, want to get things done, hard-driving and detailed. As you know, nursing requires all of these traits. If we believe that there is a God and He is in control of our lives then we also have to believe that these character traits were formed in us, outside of our control. Genetics, social surroundings and influences geared us in that direction. Were they formed in us for the purpose of nursing and doing God's work? What exactly is God's work and why has He given us this desire? I will attempt to answer this last question.

Healing is mentioned 129 times in the Bible. God is definitely interested in healing. Deuteronomy 32:39 says, "See now that I, even I am He, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive, I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Jeremiah 30:17 says, "For I will restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says the Lord." Luke 9:2 states concerning Jesus, "And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." I believe He is also sending us for this same purpose. Please note that it is not only to heal the sick but also to preach the kingdom of God first.

To preach the kingdom of God is to tell people about God and His kingdom. This is His work for us. Greater than any other command to us is His command to us to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). He loved us so much that He laid down His life for us and took all our sins upon Himself so that we can have life in Him, eternally. Not just an ordinary life, but one with meaning. That love is expressed in our nurturing and compassionate character traits that we exhibit to others.

What we say to our patients may be the very last thing they hear.

Nursing Nevada

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amen.................................

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mind if i share with my coworkers? that was wonderful!

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Please do and thank you.

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Sorry, all honest work is honorable work and therefore if you must call any work,"God's work," then it is all God's work. I am sorry but I see too many nurses right now self promoting themselves saying nursing or a particular type of nursing being a holy calling, and making statements that, " it takes a special person," etc.

It is not a calling, we are not specially chosen. Please, stop with the elitism. I am starting to gag. It is work. Honorable work. We are no holier than the poor smuck that maintains a safe enviorment and contributes to public health by cleaning toilets for minimum wage.

Yea, we get to do some great things and we get some warm fuzzies but this suggest those warm fuzzies are going to our heads.

We enjoy nursing I met people who love thier jobs that seem like disgusting jobs to me. I say VIVA La Difference.

If we were all called to be nurses there is a LOT that would never get done. Thank God some people are called to do other things.

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Not everyone can be a nurse and not everyone should be a nurse.

A calling is not a lightning bolt on the head from God, but something inside you that leads you to want to help and take care of those who cannot.

Some are only in it for the $$$. And yes, there are places that do pay nurse's well, and these are the nurse's that complain about everything, everyone and are not happy. It's a job to them.

This may piss some of you off,being that I am not offically a nurse yet, but, I can tell you from the 13 different nurses that I know, well, that this is the conclusion that I have come to & this is MY opinion.

;)

justjenn

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I don't want to highjack this thread with the agrument that is nursing or isn't it God's work. That would be disrespectful to the original poster. But Angus has a point.

We all have talents and strengths and only those that possess certain talents and strengths make good nurses. But I don't believe there's a God who says "I call you to be a nurse, I call you to be a ditch digger, I heal you, I don't heal you, this plane will crash, but I'll save this person for something greater".

Sorry for this post. It's disrespectful to the original poster I know, but I feel called to post. :)

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

God must want us all to be well-compensated with a good salary,benefits and good working conditions to enable us to happily and gratefully do his works.Call a priest-our administrators need an exorcism-they surely must be possesed by the devil!!!:devil:

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So, who called all the good athiest nurses?

Who called the pagans?

Who called the buddhists?

I appreciate the underlying theme of the post but one doesn't have to have faith in a deity to be a good nurse.

-R

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Not touching this thread with a 10 foot pole:D

(btw how did i get to be a senior member??? :confused: )

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Nurse Nevada,

I love your post - thanks for sharing it. I do believe God called me to be a nurse... :)

*~*~*~*As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord

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Specializes in Cardiac/Vascular & Healing Touch.

Amen, what a wonderful thread! :kiss

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