While it's possible to demonstrate God's love in a variety of professions, few career paths better exemplify this concept than nursing. Charged with providing physical, emotional, and spiritual care, nurses live out their faith on a daily basis. Many are called to this profession from a young age. Others find their passion for faith-based nursing later but are no less committed to their mission. No matter how you enter the field, you hold great potential to serve Christ as a nurse. Below, we highlight a few of the many ways in which nursing exemplifies the best of our Christian faith:
Caring for Those in Need
The everyday act of caring for the suffering allows nurses to live out their faith. Whether they're drawing blood samples, assisting in diagnosis, or providing post-operative care, nurses play an integral role in both preventing and easing suffering. Seemingly minor tasks can make a huge difference in patients' health and wellbeing.
Nursing truly is serving Christ, as He commands us to care for one another. In particular, the healthy are called upon to look after the weak in their time of need. This is of paramount importance, as reflected in the following Bible verses:
Offering Emotional Support
Physical care may play a central role in the day-to-day lives of nurses, but the emotional element they provide is just as important. Nurses offer a valuable sense of comfort to patients who feel nervous, anxious, or downright frightened. Their caring words can make all the difference for patients who feel as if they've lost all hope. Likewise, nurses offer emotional and spiritual support to patients' loved ones, who feel completely helpless as their friends or family members suffer.
The value of emotional support is referenced on several occasions in the Book of Proverbs. For example, Proverbs 16:24 states: "Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." Similarly, Proverbs 17:22 explains that, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." The healing power of love is also referenced on several occasions in the parables. Jesus is lauded not only for his ability to work miracles, but also for the constant love he shows to those who need it most.
Combined with proper physical care, emotional support can prove truly transformative. When recalling their time in hospitals or other health care facilities, patients remember not only the physical suffering they endured, but also how much better they felt both emotionally and spiritually after meeting with caring nurses. In many cases, just a few minutes of genuine care can completely change a patient's emotional outlook. A nurse’s care can live on in patients long after they have been treated. By setting an example of service, nurses inspire others to do the same.
The Power of Sacrifice
To nurse is to sacrifice. While nurses often receive generous pay and benefits, they may spend long hours in difficult and draining conditions, all because they are passionate about their work and determined to provide the high level of care their patients deserve. Nursing can also carry significant emotional sacrifices; nurses struggle to see wonderful people suffering. Many are well-acquainted with death, which does not become easier with time. This emotional sacrifice is easier to bear, however, when nurses recall their top source of inspiration: Jesus, who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be freed of the suffering imposed by sin.
Your ideal career should allow you to utilize your natural gifts for a greater purpose, all while fulfilling Christ's call to serve others. Nursing easily checks off every box. Yes, it's one of the most challenging professions, but it's also one of the most personally fulfilling — and it grants you an amazing opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of others while serving God.
If you’d like to learn more about professions that enable you to serve wholeheartedly and faithfully in your life’s work or want to learn more about a biblically based, Christ-centered education at Geneva, we’d love to chat with you. For more information on how Geneva College can help you pursue your education goals, please phone us at 855-979-5563 or email web@geneva.edu.
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
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