What do you say to:
The student who passed all his classes but cannot progress in the program because he missed the cummulative GPA mark by .o4?
The newlywed nurse who comes to work with the black eye and gets flustered over frequent phone calls from her husband while she is at work?
The woman dying of lung cancer?
The sleep deprived doctor who you're calling at 2am yet again?
The coworker who is burnt out?
The crying student who made an honest mistake that could have been very serious?
The neighbor who lost her job?
The young woman who lost her leg in a tragic accident?
The friend who calls you on the phone to tell you she's moving far away?
The panhandler on the side of the street?
Yourself at the end of the day?
The King of the Universe, the God of all creation?
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Impaired Religiousity
Being a nurse I am occasionally asked the question: "Do your find yourself self diagnosing frequently?" Hmm... I suppose the answer would be yes, but we has nurses have our own arsenal of absurd diagnoses. My latest, impaired religiosity.
Impaired Religiosity: State in which a person or group has an impaired ability to exercise reliance on beliefs of a particular denomination or faith community and to participate in related rituals.
Unfortunately this sounds all too familiar. Apparently I'm not alone as there must be a fair number of people suffering from this debilitating disease or there would not be a "legitimate" diagnoses. Sometimes our impairment is related to physical things such as schedule conflicts, transportation issues, etc... Other factors may be more complex such as trust issues, spiritual distress and others. God is so much bigger than these things.
Though I am getting better at care planning I still sometimes struggle with this, we all do. But as I have sat down to think about it, I have noticed the efforts of my friends to reach out to those with "Impaired Religiosity." The guys who get to church early every Sunday to drive the vans to pick up the kids who wouldn't otherwise be able to come. The teams who tirelessly go out to lead the the mission and rest home meetings. The teachers who have probably had it up here to classroom antics and then dedicate their Wednesday evenings to leading a youth group.
This week I will challenge myself to pray and ask God for sensitivity to others and to show me how to fight back against this "disease."
After all, aren't we reminded that true religion is to care for widows and orphans?
James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Impaired Religiosity: State in which a person or group has an impaired ability to exercise reliance on beliefs of a particular denomination or faith community and to participate in related rituals.
Unfortunately this sounds all too familiar. Apparently I'm not alone as there must be a fair number of people suffering from this debilitating disease or there would not be a "legitimate" diagnoses. Sometimes our impairment is related to physical things such as schedule conflicts, transportation issues, etc... Other factors may be more complex such as trust issues, spiritual distress and others. God is so much bigger than these things.
Though I am getting better at care planning I still sometimes struggle with this, we all do. But as I have sat down to think about it, I have noticed the efforts of my friends to reach out to those with "Impaired Religiosity." The guys who get to church early every Sunday to drive the vans to pick up the kids who wouldn't otherwise be able to come. The teams who tirelessly go out to lead the the mission and rest home meetings. The teachers who have probably had it up here to classroom antics and then dedicate their Wednesday evenings to leading a youth group.
This week I will challenge myself to pray and ask God for sensitivity to others and to show me how to fight back against this "disease."
After all, aren't we reminded that true religion is to care for widows and orphans?
James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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