Having been a hospital chaplain for many years now, I've discovered that a hospital is a rigorous school and the many lessons there are to learn.
The most general lesson is what it's like to be weak and vulnerable to sickness, dependent upon others for small and basic needs. We do tend to take our strength, and freedoms granted -until we become incapable of doing basic things for ourselves. Illness involves loss of freedom and privacy.
Not to mention, in hospital time does drag. A few hours looks like eternity. There's the stress and fear of waiting for the results of tests. The magical names-POSITIVE results or and NEGATIVE results are doom. The imagination can run wild. And until we've been diagnosed we can't be treated. Nor can we come to terms with our medical problem until it has been defined.
The most general lesson is what it's like to be weak and vulnerable to sickness, dependent upon others for small and basic needs. We do tend to take our strength, and freedoms granted -until we become incapable of doing basic things for ourselves. Illness involves loss of freedom and privacy.
Not to mention, in hospital time does drag. A few hours looks like eternity. There's the stress and fear of waiting for the results of tests. The magical names-POSITIVE results or and NEGATIVE results are doom. The imagination can run wild. And until we've been diagnosed we can't be treated. Nor can we come to terms with our medical problem until it has been defined.
It is at this period of uncertainty, I have tried to help my patients to place their life in God's hands and accept the outcome of the results. Psalms 46:10 has become my standards of helping patients who are under stress and in limbo of not knowing what the results of their test would turn out to be; “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Saying prayer with patients at this moment can be very difficult. Sometimes I feel guilty about not being able to say the “right words in prayer.”
It is during these moments Romans 8:26 makes sense, “When we can't put our prayers into words the Spirit inspires our groans,”… and knows what they mean. In fact a groan can be far more eloquent than many words.
Most patients don’t cope with illness as well as is expected. At times many are afraid and confused, overwhelmed with questions about suffering, and yet most don’t have the mental strength to attempt to answer them. As a hospital chaplain, I have spent my 12 years of hospital ministry in reading and reflecting on the problem of suffering, thus when I visit my patient I have the sense not to choke the poor patient with theology when what they most need is a friend to be with him, to hold their hand and to pray with them, a friend who knows when to keep silent. All they need is a friend who has all the time for them. See my article on “Pastoral care to the dying…”
Needless to point out in these article, that I have needed a spiritual jump start from my mentor. He once told me to stop thinking I was “stronger than Christ in Gethsemane,” If Christ could weep, Matthew 27:46, who am I to be ashamed of feeling inadequate and or feeling despair? I had to learn to accept that I was human, and that that meant being empathic, weak and vulnerable.
Needless to point out in these article, that I have needed a spiritual jump start from my mentor. He once told me to stop thinking I was “stronger than Christ in Gethsemane,” If Christ could weep, Matthew 27:46, who am I to be ashamed of feeling inadequate and or feeling despair? I had to learn to accept that I was human, and that that meant being empathic, weak and vulnerable.
Like other care providers in hospital, the role of a hospital chaplain is to help patients overcome the indignities of sickness. The nurses and doctors reflect and continue to show Christ's compassion for the sick. In a chaplain like in other caregivers, patient should met The Healer, Luke 7:1-17 The Good Physician John 5:1-9.
