Blog #7

James 2:17-18
     "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without works, and I will show thee my faith by my works."

This is the verse that came to my mind during our Faith Integration class this morning.  It is easy for someone to say, "Yeah, I'm a Christian," but it is also really easy to mess up and cause someone else pain.  People recognize Christians by their actions; not the way they look or how smart they might be, but what they do.

I think it is really great that nurses, CNAs, or other staff members at the sites NU students go to notice that NU students are different than other nursing students.  It is a good opportunity for us to make a positive impact for the gospel when we associate ourselves with a Christian institution.  Yet, the association unnerves me, because I am afraid I will mess up, or react badly to a situation thus letting down my fellow students and professors. More than this, I am afraid of reflecting poorly on Christians and Christianity in general.  Too often I have seen and heard stories of people who profess to be Christians, but do not act like one.  The effects of such actions can be devastating to other Christians who may become discouraged, or harmful to people who may have been interested in Christianity, but were disgusted or "turned off" by that one person's actions.  My prayer and hope is that I will be able to reflect the love of Christ to those I work with without causing someone else to doubt or stumble in their faith.

Blog #6

The last Thursday of our rotation in long-term care, I went directly from the nursing home to a memorial service for a man who went to my church.  The service was a really good reminder to me that the people we are taking care of all have stories of their own.  For example: the man who died was one of the original founders of my church, and loved horseback-riding, hunting, and fishing.  He was a contractor for a siding company, and was a great example of a rock-solid Christian.  He died of complications of pneumonia, which he contracted during his hospital stay related to his Parkinson's disease.  He had been battling Parkinson's for quite some time, and had spent some time in a long-term care facility. 


The next day at clinical, I started seeing the residents as I saw this man from my church.  Each one has his or her own story, family, and interests.  I think that, though it was a hard service to go to, I learned about better patient care.  We have talked many times already on holistic care with the Gordon's Functional Health patterns, but it doesn't seem to leave room for getting to know our patients just a little bit better.  Sometimes people can find comfort in sharing their stories or listening to stories related to things they are interested in.  I realize that we need to maintain a professional relationship with our patients and will not always have much time to spend with them, but I feel that getting to know them just a little bit better will make a huge impact on the effectiveness and quality of the care I am able to give.