Being entrusted with a mission can be daunting. The Lesson Quarterly over the past few weeks has reflected on characters in the Bible who were given missions by God. They weren’t perfect people. They sometimes baulked at the mission; they had legitimate fears. Often they doubted their ability to carry out these seemingly impossible missions. And yet when they aligned themselves with God’s purpose, extraordinary things happened.
At Adventist HealthCare (Sydney Adventist Hospital and San Day Surgery Hornsby), mission has underpinned our work since we opened in 1903. Our mission is “Christianity in action: caring for the body, mind and spirit of our patients, colleagues, community and ourselves”. The small part each of us plays in delivering that mission may not change the world, but every interaction with a patient has the potential to impact their life.
Some of life’s most pivotal events happen in hospital—whether that’s a difficult diagnosis or the joy of birth, the grief of loss or the relief of suffering. During hospitalisation, people are often confronted with questions they may never have had to deal with before, such as how do I make sense of this, what does the future hold, what does this mean for me and my family?
Every day there are numerous opportunities to reflect God’s love in the way we care for patients and each other. When nurses, doctors, support staff, chaplains, spiritual care ambassadors, volunteers and administrators come alongside patients with kindness and care—meeting their needs where they’re at—God can use that to bring comfort, healing and hope.
Not everyone is comfortable being given a “mission” or feels adequately equipped to carry it out. We may feel reluctant or uncertain we have the skills to have a deeper conversation or pray with patients. However, we diminish God’s power when we make it about us—our capabilities or lack of. Our small, genuine kindnesses may plant the seeds, and God waters the soil and transforms lives.
