Have you ever thought of a nurse as “a person strong enough to tolerate everything and soft enough to understand everyone”? According to nurseslabs.com, that is a good definition of those in the nursing profession.
I have known and observed many nurses in my lifetime. The best are like swans – graceful and dignified on the surface, but underneath, paddling furiously. In other words, the best nurses I have seen have been extremely busy, but at the same time they are courteous, intuitive and kind. I admire them greatly.
Like many occupations, nursing may be very demanding, and therefore stressful. Nursezone.com posted a few key tips for nurses to help them de-stress their lives. They included the following: think positively; collaborate with administrators; and support each other. If you are a nurse, maybe you can think of a time when a patient’s appreciative look helped de-stress a situation, just like the caring looks you give patients can uplift and cheer them.
I can add one more suggestion to that list of tips–one that may already play a large part in your nursing life: pray for yourself. You know, if we think of ourselves as depending on our own personal reserves of strength and patience, we inevitably run up against limits to our endurance. But if it’s possible that we can lean on God for these qualities, that opens up unlimited resources and abilities.
By recognizing God’s presence in our lives, and our relationship to divine Love, we can connect with a great source of strength, intelligence and endurance. I think these words of St. Paul are a wonderful prayer of affirmation for anyone living a busy life: “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Phil 2: 13 NLT). This acknowledges God as the source of our integrity, courage, love and patience.
The love and wisdom God gives simply cannot be depleted. Instead, they continually provide us with the buoyancy to stay calm and unpressured.
At one time, nurses were called “angels of mercy.” I think that title is still appropriate today. It also can be conferred on the countless individuals who take care of their parents, children, or friends. Taking the time to pray for yourself each day will help you be more conscious of this loving presence of God and do your work more effortlessly, successfully and joyfully.
