Do They See Jesus in Me

I've had a good past few weeks at work and feel like I am finally back in the groove of the day shift after having been on nights for so many months.  


When I went into our break room to eat my hurried lunch the other day I noticed that on a bulletin board where our manager puts 'shout outs' from other staff and patient letters there was a star with my name on it and three cards under it.  I've been working at this job since last fall and have never had a shout out before and was very surprised to see my name with three cards appear all at once.  I remember the patients who included me in their notes and don't remember treating them any differently than any of my other patients.


The song of my thoughts of the day is 'Do They See Jesus in Me' by Joy Williams.


It felt really good to be recognized by my patients for the work that I do for them.  They see me in their room caring for them, but they don't see all that happens and the 'juggling' of their needs and my other patients' needs when I am not in direct contact with them.  My goal as a nurse has always been to make my patients feel well cared for, to have the time to listen to them and encourage them when they need it, and to make them feel like I have nowhere else that I have to be when I am with them no matter how busy I am.  


I pray that my patients and the staff that I work with can see Jesus through my words and actions.  I pray that they can see that my compassion and love for my job and patients comes from God and that if not for Him I wouldn't be able to do what I do.  


Yesterday was a day where it would have been easy to be impatient with some of my patients and very attentive to the others who seemed more appreciative.  I cared for one elderly lady who seemed absolutely miserable and kept saying bad things about the staff and hospital.  The lady down the hall was very thankful and kept saying that she didn't want to be a burden.  While I dreaded going into the 'miserable lady's' room, I knew that she needed somebody to listen to and gripe to even if it meant that she was putting me down at the same time.  I knew that the lady who thought she was a burden needed to be reassured that I had time for her and did not mind answering her questions or listening to her thoughts about her prognosis.  


With God's grace I pray that I can treat the patient who is driving me crazy and the kind elderly woman in the room next door with the same amount of respect, care and love, just as Jesus would.