A few things I learned becoming a nurse...

Eight years ago I was in seminary school during the nights and sunlighting (is that a thing?) as a banker.  I had no idea what lay ahead for me. I just knew I wanted to preach, teach, and heal the broken hearted.  The best way I knew how to do that was through pastoring a church.  Perhaps it was circumstance.  Perhaps it was reading a very challenging book on organized religion and church leadership.  Perhaps it was a profound experience with Jesus.  Maybe, it was all of it.  I found myself with a deep, burning (no, not kidney stones) to help those in need, and felt like I was living in a world apart from the sick, hurting and destitute.  I felt like the world I lived in was one of people who knew the Bible, who knew how to teach it, but had no idea what people yearned for, they had no connection with humanity.  I wanted more.  I wanted to be in the trenches and so I changed my degree plan.  The following are some things I learned in this process.

1)       If you’re not careful you will find yourself deeply connected to the hurting, so much in fact that you find yourself lost, confused, and hurting too.  So caution is part of the game.  But, also it’s okay to hurt when others hurt.  This was tough, because I hate hurting.  But, through my experiences with clinicals and patients I was able to connect with hurts in a brand new way.

2)      Nurses teach, teach, teach.  Every time we walk into a patient’s room we are teaching with our actions, our words, and our empathy.  It’s brilliant, because in ways I teach more now than I would have had I been a preacher.  Your life is teaching.  So, recognize, and be aware of what you’re choosing to teach with your actions, words, and empathy.

3)      We’re very, very fragile.  It is unbelievable how important sodium, potassium and glucose levels are.  Diet and exercise aren’t just fads, they are real deals.  Our health and our bodies are dying, and yet we treat them like they are invincible.  We are not invincible.   We are created beings, with short opportunities to do everlasting things.  So it’s vitally important we live our lives knowing one day we may need another person to wipe our ass.  This didn’t just make me depressed; it made me realize how very important my job is.  I want to be a damned good ass wiper, because see point number 2.

4)      My journey involved getting married, and having a baby, and preparing for a second child.  This journey taught me the power of trust and faithfulness.  There were so many times I doubted, so many.  I doubted I would make it.  I doubted I could be a nurse.  I doubted God even existed after seeing so much depravity.  But, God always revealed his faithfulness to me, and through me.  Why?  I don’t have a clue.  Maybe cause God kinda sorda digs us.  He is always faithful and he’s building my trust every second of every moment.

Becoming a nurse has taught me numerous things…certainly much more than four.  The journey is far from over, but thank God that NCLEX is finished.

Thankful Revolution

In a previous blog I discussed the topic of being happy.  Now I want to discuss the beauty and wonder of being grateful, or more specifically content.  Did you know there are actually scientific journals that prove the motivation of gratefulness?  In other words the more content and thankful you are the more apt you are to find yourself pursuing things that are healthy for you like more time with your family, or exercise, or a deeper relationship with God.  We have it the opposite don’t we?  So often we find ourselves discontented, unthankful and frustrated.  We pursue things in order that we might be thankful, but it’s never enough.  Pursuits should come from thankfulness, not the other way around.

At the end of the day to be thankful takes skill, effort, and real deep-rooted honesty.  It’s not pseudo “positive thinking.”  It must be done with an analysis that truly recognizes the real things you have…most of the time undeserved.  None of us in America are entitled to rights, freedoms, or the pursuit of the happiness.  But, but the constitution!  You have failed to recognize the constitution was fought, and sacrificed for as a privilege and a gift to you.  My point isn’t to address politics, it’s to slap myself, and yourself upside the head and say “hey, wake up, you are freaking blessed!”

I don’t want to pursue more stuff.  I don’t want to pursue more knowledge.  I don’t want to go another second desiring more for myself or my family before I ask God to help me be thankful.  There’s peace in being thankful.  I know it may seem simple for some, but for some out there like me, you got too busy with life.  You forgot to be thankful, and you’ve become bitter, frustrated and frankly, worried you’ll never have enough.

Maybe none of this makes sense to you, where you’re at.  Maybe you see yourself as a genuinely thankful person.  Good.  Then, maybe you can proclaim how awesome it truly is.  I know once I sat down and analyzed my life, I was thankful.  And it really is awesome.

Revolution of Love

Unconditional love does not exist.   You may think to yourself but a mother’s love is unconditional.  She sees her child and instantly wants to nurture and take care of the child.  I guarantee you this is not true.  Some women actually despise their children and sink into a deep depression once the child is born, it’s called postpartum blues and it is a real condition.  When we’re honest with ourselves and everyone around us about the lack of unconditional love in existence then the discussions we have will change.

Jesus never once said to anyone “don’t worry, God loves you no matter what.”  This is important to recognize because we can have honest discussions about what it takes to receive God’s love.  Because there is at least one very real condition to receiving his love.  It’s called belief.  Before you start yelling at me “but what about Grace?!” you must recognize the power of belief.  God allows belief to change everything and depending on where you lie in the equation this is either extremely amazing, or extremely sad, but both cannot argue its extremely profound implications.

This should rattle us to the core!  We should be encouraged as believers that God totally rocked our world when he allows our eternity to be based on belief.  We should also be completely broken in our inner most being about the meaning this has for those that don’t believe.  The reason unconditional love doesn’t exist is because justice couldn’t be served and grace would be a joke with no conditions.

Conditional love is beautiful.

Jesus didn’t come to get rid of conditions, but to simplify them.  The conditions were pages, and pages and pages long.  We could never add up!  Jesus made it simple.  Believe in me.  The revolution came through Jesus….and love, well love was made accessible to all and that my friends absolutely astonishes me.

Revolution of our Agendas

As a follower of Jesus it’s very difficult how to transfer relationship with God into real life sometimes.  When I was a young man entering adulthood I was zealous, and intensely pursuing God.  I wanted to change the world and I knew that I would.  With God on my side who could be against me?  I spent time within a discipleship program designed to reveal character issues, and bring about lasting foundations in what it is to be a disciple of Jesus.  It was all very, very amazing.  I then spent a semester in seminary with the intended purpose of pastoring a church.  God had different plans, still not fully revealed.

As I walked around campus during seminary school I had a lot of conversations with people just like me.  In my spare time I was reading books about being a shepherd and other books strictly against “organized religion.”  The one thing that slapped me across the face and changed my path forever was that people who pursued seminary (at least the ones I met) never pursued any other career path.  They had “jobs” but their passion was always about Jesus, and ministry.  They had no real, deep connection with the lost or the sick.  This deeply burdened me (not saying seminary school is wrong, it just was for me).  I dropped out in the middle of the semester and began a new career path. 

Financial advising was the next endeavor before finally and fully pursuing nursing school.  I wanted to know people.  I wanted to be in the trenches fighting with them.  I wanted to passionately pursue them with love, healing, hope and life.  I wanted to offer them Jesus in their brokenness.  This was my ministry.  But life has gotten me distracted.  Which brings me to my whole point.

Our agendas, if pursued long enough, become the only thing we can see.  We cannot let this happen.  As lovers of Jesus, he must always be in focus.  It’s not sin that draws us from God, it’s our agendas that do.  If there is a devil, his biggest trick is to convince you your battles, agendas, and pursuits are the most important things in your life so you completely forget whom your heart belongs to. 

I’m ready to remember.  Life is complicated, and tricky.  Our only hope is remembering Jesus.

Revolution of Hope

Life is meaningless.  You work so hard, strive so long for dreams that may or may not be fulfilled.  When they are fulfilled they never quite add up, and you yearn for more.  All the money you earn is for security/insurance.  You put some towards homeowners insurance, automobile insurance, social security, and if you’re financially able some goes towards insuring your lifestyle after retirement.  You exert so much energy and effort into loving your family, friends, etc. and never find yourself satisfied as you continuously don’t measure up.  If you love Jesus, you’re taught, you’ll experience ridiculous joy…after you die.  Heaven is the ultimate end and Jesus is your ultimate means.  Nothing else matters.  There is but one hope, you die before suffering too much.  

Is this really what Jesus taught?

Actually, Jesus taught that He was the reward, not Heaven.  Our hope, our identity our meaning in life all flow from Him.  To walk with Jesus is to walk in ridiculous joy now!  You were meant for life.  Not some ambiguous golden paved road encampment.  Yes, there will be suffering.  Yes, you will still sin.  Yes you will still strive and never quite get everything you desired, but with Jesus you will get so much more.  The key is you don’t have to live in suffering.  You don’t have to live in sin.  You can live in Jesus, as it were.  What does that mean?  It means knowing what He actually taught.  It means trusting that your sins, every single one of them have been covered.  It means living in a world where you have a choice to either be the real you or be the you that fails.  Sin is tricky, because it convinces you that there is no other option.  Jesus came to not just wash away and forgive you of your sins but provide you with an option to live well!  Sin destroys life, but Jesus builds life in you.

The hope isn’t far off in a distant land, waiting for you to realize suicide is the fastest track there.  It’s here.  It’s in a savior who offers it to you every moment, every second you breathe.  It’s time for a revolution of hope.

Revolution of the Encourager

God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.  Right?  Well, not really.  The scripture is actually referring to temptation and having a way out of that temptation. Look again.

  1 Cor. 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

When attempting to encourage others, stop using this phrase.  It’s incorrect, and not even close to what scripture says.  Stick to verses that talk about us having peace, us having a sound mind, us having a counselor in the holy spirit.  Better yet, buy the person a drink or a meal and listen.  Stop trying to encourage others with crappy lies.  

Everything happens for a reason.  Another encouragement that offers no real insight into what God does.  Let’s put this phrase in context shall we.  I just suffered the loss of a loved one.  Well, you lost that loved one for a reason.  Take this to its fullest end.  God caused the death of your loved one so that something else better might happen, or you might learn a lesson.  There’s no such thing as freedom of choice or consequences for actions but God walking around looking for ways to cause suffering so you might learn lessons.  Don’t twist my words. I absolutely believe God uses circumstances, even painful ones to teach lessons, but to go as far as saying He causes suffering so that we might learn lessons…well I’m not sure. Maybe.  But is that really encouraging to the person suffering?  Hey, God might have done this, be encouraged. I think there’s much better ways to encourage others in their suffering.

Start with a hug, and some actual loving encouragement from the heart.  Maybe this means say nothing.  Maybe it means using scripture.  Maybe a cooked meal.  Stop using terrible phrases.

Study the scripture below, and commit them to heart over the crappy phrases you’ve learned:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16.33

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  Psalms 46:1

“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.”  Psalm 18:32-36

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

“The Lord gives his people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace.” Psalm 29:11

“May the God of hope fill you all with joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”  Romans 15:13