God asks us as believers to step out of our comfort zones, perhaps today even more, because as Henry Blackaby says in Experiencing God, ” God is at work all the time around us and He invites us to share in this work.” The Holy Spirit invites us to walk into the deep with him. What does it mean for you and me to walk into the deep? Beyond our comfort zone? We need availability for God. I am available for God in my career as a nurse. Nurturing is what I do as a nurse. God is nurturing.
Psalm 82:2-3
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
My career in nursing has been an exciting career that I thank God for giving me a nursing career everyday. I became a nurse as an adult. This is but a glimpse at a few of the patient’s God has let cross my path at various times in my career, no names to protect their identities.
Early in my career I am highly skilled in placing Intravenous Lines and caring for very sick cancer patient and HIV and AID patients. My compassion and empathy are my greatest asset that the Lord uses. I fear not because God is with me. The house I visit has many men suffering from AIDs.or HIV. The years of 1992 to 1996, I specialize in giving care to these men suffering as the disease causes serial deaths. For a while, I suffer, as I waited to see if a needle stick would convert me HIV negative to HIV positive. I bargained, I begged, I cried. I went deeper than I ever thought I could go in my walk with God for those six months. I continue to give care. Bag after bag of TPN, hydration, and antibiotics, and then the few that made you laugh. I push deep and share my faith hoping to the plant the mustard seed of faith. Each patient teaches me something, the serial loses were hard, I learn self-care is so important. A person needs a dose of God’s word daily, praying and spending time in God’s presence is the best self-care.
Another home care patient I remembered requested me because I was a Christian. After a while, he would tell me that he likes that I am able to draw his blood and not give him a rush of the narcotic that he receives for the pain. Months pass and we grow closer to God and he grows closer to graduation day when he will see Jesus. His wife tells me, I am his favorite nurse, I am his only nurse. Before I visit him I pray. How do I hold back the tears? How do I go deeper and continue to meet his needs? I am not a hospice nurse but they do not want hospice, they want me as his nurse. Yes this is beyond my comfort zone? My source of strength is God. Yes I know his destination. Heaven. One day, he succumbs to the cancer and I am there to help his wife.
He arrives, he has no family, he’s tired, elderly and lives alone. Making the decision to not have CPR if his heart should stop, today, he decides to stop receiving life treatments necessary. This treatment keeps him alive week to week without the treatment, he will die. Hospice will see him. Do I go deeper and take care of the soul issue, do I ask that one question about faith, this is a step beyond my comfort zone. I will offer to pray with him? Because I know that in Christ alone, there is peace. He listens to what the Lord is saying to him through me, I share 1 Timothy 2:5 with him, we pray, he accepts Christ.
| For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, … |
Before leaving home health nursing, a man who had given his daughter a legacy of a written legacy of their heritage. Not only painting but he had their heritage in books of their ancestors. Lastly, another cancer patient a man who loved his wife and she loved him so much, when he passed, I remember wondering if someone will love me this way.
Beloved, I did not convert to HIV positive God protected me. When we go deeper for God, really dig deep, serve him with no reservation, no questions, he meets us right where we are. Although, my home health nursing days ended, God is so good to allow me to still go deeper with him and to serve him.
[Tweet “I believe we have God opportunity days.”] Writing to a prompt from Suzanne Eller’s Living Free challenge last week about into the deep with God, I give God all the glory for my career.
Beloved, Who is God asking you to share the good news? Who can you pray for? Will you share your story?
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