My name is Jennifer Lopez, I’m a registered nurse (RN) and the new kid, nurse-wise, on the block at His Hands. I believe nursing, in it it’s most simple form, is the compassionate care of strangers. That’s extremely oversimplified, but the basis for all that we do, and caring for the body, mind, and spirit is a creed most nurses will state they believe in. At His Hands, we really do have the honor to put that into practice.
My third week at His Hands Free Clinic, I sat across from a patient I’d brought into the exam room. I’d completed the medical documentation of her vital signs, medical allergies and general health questions. The next question was, “What are we seeing you for today?”. Looking at the floor for a moment, she met my eyes and stated quietly,
“I need my medicines. I lost my job and I’m looking for work, but I can’t afford my pills.”
“I’m glad you came in,” I told her, “that’s something we should be able to help you with.”
We went over the medications she was out of and the details. Then she stated,
“It was hard to decide to come here. I hate feeling helpless like this.”
We see many types of patients at the clinic. Some are afraid of medical care in general, some are comfortable coming to a free clinic, some are embarrassed that they need “a hand-out”. My sweet lady fell in the latter category.
We spoke briefly about how hard it was to be in situations where we need help and that sometimes you need a “hand-up” and there is no shame in that. And then, since we were short of prayer support that shift, I offered to pray with her before leaving the room for the doctor to come in. At her look of confusion, I explained that we offer prayer for our patients who would be comfortable with it because at His Hands, we see each patient as more than a body with an illness, but care about their body, mind, and spirit. She offered that she was struggling with her faith because, “Everyone says that God won’t give you anything you can’t handle, but I can’t seem to handle this at all.”
I love that myth because when I hear it, I have the opportunity to share that it isn’t that God won’t give us what we can’t handle, but He will not allow circumstances in our life that He won’t walk beside us during them, temptations that we cannot overcome with his strength, and in our frailty, He is glorified. We don’t have to be able to “handle” it all, because He can!
She and I had a sweet moment in the middle of a busy day to remember that our God is a God of compassion and mercy who longs for our trust and fellowship, not a task master wanting to see if we are tough enough to handle what storms come into our lives.
Moments like this touch my heart and remind me that I never come to work alone. Jesus is always by my side and my present help in time of need. I love that when our patients leave, maybe they have more hope and dignity than when they arrived. Such a gift to be able to serve at His Hands!
“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” Romans 5:2 NLT
See you at the clinic~ Jennifer RN
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