Does It Get Any Easier?

At work yesterday we had another incident where in the morning someone was up walking around after eating breakfast and drinking coffee, and by the afternoon we were taking their body to the morgue. Their heart had gone into a lethal rhythm that could not sustain bloodflow to vital organs, and despite our best medical interventions, their time on this earth was finished.

After all the events had subsided, one of our newer nurses asked me if these situations ever got any easier. I pondered for a moment, and then answered, "Yes, and No". I then proceeded to explain a few of my reflections from working where I do:

1. You never assume that just because someone is pink and perfusing then that means they are healthy.

2. You never underestimate the depth of anyone's sickness (some of our patients we refer to as "ticking time bombs"...they appear well one moment and explode the next)

3. You ALWAYS have your emergency equipment at the bedside, ready at any moment to resuscitate.

4. As a nurse, our job is to care and provide care. You learn to love your patients and love them well. But you hold each life loosely in your hand so that when God requests that hand you are ready to place it in His.

5. At the end of the day, you go home and rest. This part of my day is just as important or more so as my 12 hrs of work because, it is in resting that you debrief and recharge. And this is what allows you to continue facing day after day with resiliency and hope.

As a Christian, our work is never finished. And yet, it is already finished. It was finished on the cross of Christ where He uttered those words Himself and relieved us from the burden of having to bring our sacrifice before God in order to be reconciled to Him. Therefore, the work of making disciples now flows from a heart that has been redeemed itself, and therefore it is a joy to plod steadily on. And so, in answering the question of "Does it get any easier?" with regards to the commands of Christ I would answer similarly "Yes, and No". Here are my reflections:

1. You never assume that just because someone "goes to church" and "does good works" that this means they are saved and spiritually healthy.

2. You never underestimate the depth of anyone's spiritual sickness. How many "ticking time bombs" are in your life? One minute they are an elder or deacon in the church, the next minute they are divorcing their wife after being discovered to be in an adulteress affair. Or are YOU the ticking time bomb...is there an area of sinfulness in YOUR life that needs to be uncovered and dealt with before drastic consequences occur? This is where we hold each other accountable because none of us are resilient enough to resist the temptations of sin.

3. You always have your emergency equipment at your bedside. SCRIPTURE. It is the sword that Christ has given us to fight this disease of sin. The Holy Spirit is our oxygen that brings life and spiritual vitality. Fellowship and accountability of the saints. They are the ones who will put the ambu bag on your face and push meds when you have hit the floor and can not revive yourself.

4. Care and provide care. Is this not what Christ commands of us, His followers? Learn to love those you serve, and learn to serve them well. They are in your life FOR A REASON. You hold their hand because have you ever thought yours might be the only hand of Christ in which they hold?

5. At the end of the day, you go home and rest. Yes, you work hard for the kingdom, to make disciples that reflect God's glory and enjoy His goodness. But this is impossible in our own strength. There must be time to rest, soak in His Word, and meditate on the depth of your own sinfulness and the deeper love of Christ that has redeemed you. It is in this place that we recharge so that we can press on and face each day with resiliency and hope.

"As for the rich in this present age, charge them

not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty

of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be

generous and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves as

a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which

is truly life." ~ 1 Timothy 6:17

Lord, help me to take hold of that which is truly life today, namely You. May I see each person placed before me today (which might only be Lucy :) as an opportunity to learn how to love and serve well, just as Christ would do if He were here in the flesh. May I find deep satisfaction in the mundane duties you have called me to, simply because you have called me to them. And may I pursue riches and righteousness through your grace, that at the end of the day there will be an abundance of treasure stored up before the throne. Amen.