“Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck.
Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such passion
and such intensity that it becomes a spiritual calling.”
Vincent Van Gogh
Timing is everything…
2023! This year, New Year’s Day will dawn on a Sunday morning.
This phenomenon is no coincidence. Let’s reflect on Christmas Day. Historically, Christmas is always celebrated on December 25 each year. This day was once celebrated as a pagan holiday until Emperor Constantine declared Christianity official. The emperor would reduce paganism with the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, hence Christmas. Six days after Christmas everyone welcomes the start of a new year. If there were no leap years, the new year would fall on a Sunday just about every seven years. It was the year 336 when Constantine decided to change one simple practice. Here we are 1686 years, 615,799 days later, and the practice continues. Timing is crucial.
Let us see 2023 as a time to celebrate the dawning of the New Year on the first day of the week. This is a fresh start, new opportunities to get things right. Last year for me was a lot of trial and errors in this area of work. It was a time of learning new things. This year gives me a wonderful opportunity to practice some of the things I learned and to work on doing other things better this year. This is a perfect way to start by dedicating this day as a Sabbath to my Maker. Each of you have the same opportunity!
This is a wonderful day to reflect over the past year, not beat yourself up, but to take notes on what went well, what did not go over so well, and things that were a total mess- then make an important and solemn decisions to make the necessary changes. Starting with the person looking back at you in the mirror!
Let’s take a walk down the Roman Road…
The single most important and life changing decision you can make today, is to invite Christ into your heart and life. “Who is God?” Romans 8:10 answers. “Who have sinned?” Romans 3.23 answers. “God’s price on sin?” Romans 6:23 answers. “Who paid the price?” Romans 5:8 answers. “What is the only way out?” Romans 10: 9 answers, and “Who is Jesus calling out to?” Romans 10:13 answers- Whosoever is referring to you and to me. Answer the call!
The road less travelled is called Responsibility…
Those of us who with a greater responsibility especially those who deal with life and death situations need Divine guidance and enlightenment every single day. Seek His help to practice your profession safely moment by moment. Don’t be afraid to stop and ask Him to give you clarity of mind. Ask Him to help you cultivate a purity of heart that will ultimately transcend any desire to bring harm intentionally or even accidentally. We would be naïve to ignore the risks. One young man posted on the internet how he studied to past his tests in nursing school… and now that he has graduated, he touts… “patients you are on your own.” I have no doubt that this young man will likely become a good solid nurse in next five years if he sticks with it, but that is not the message we want to send to the public. A dear friend and colleague who is well acquainted with operative procedures on national and international elective patients shares this reminder, “As nurses we must always remember that patients no longer choose health care institutions based on name only, but on the care, they receive” Barbara RN. 12.30.2022.
Whatever a person sets out to achieve – let him set hours for it…
Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling” is a beautiful devotional. The pages are written as if Jesus Himself is speaking directly to you from heart of God to me each day. On December 1, she writes, “During severe testing, even the best theology can fail you if it isn’t accompanied by experiential knowledge.” Nurses, this is us. We can have all the theoretical knowledge our training provides – BUT- unless we are willing to go through a period of apprenticeship, which unfortunately gets shorter with need for nurses, with more experienced staff nurses, we will likely cause harm. In the same breath, it is also imperative that more experienced nurses demonstrate a willingness to learn from newer nurses. The practice is old but the evidence which guides our practice is changing. Let us purpose in our hearts this year to be a better person and help bridge the generation gap within our profession.