I’ve had fun hanging at the hospital with my daughter and grandson. It’s been a sweet time basking in the afterglow of a successful birth and healthy baby, relearning the rhythms of a newborn, and getting the last vestiges of sleep before we go home and real life begins. We’ve been blessed with some great nurses over these last couple of days, but two really standout. One walked my daughter through 20 hours of labor and the other cared for her, and Brody, on the other side of it. The reasons I’m singling them out are common to them both:
Compassion. Empathy. Dedication.
We expect nurses to be compassionate, I think. After all, their job is to care for people, and anticipate and meet their needs. They have to empathize with the people they serve because without empathy, they couldn’t really understand or be patient with people at their worst. But not all nurses have these crucial elements. Our special two, however, had them in abundance. But more, they weren’t just doing their job; they were dedicated to it. And we were the beneficiaries.
Whether a corporate mogul, stay-at-home mom, rancher or in retail sales, every single one of us can benefit the world by infusing our work with compassion and empathy. When we do our jobs with dedication, performing each task as we would for ourselves, and more, to God Himself, we literally change the world for the better.
I’m thankful for the hard-working gals who loved on my girl and her boy, and made our time here so pleasant, and I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to do the same with those I serve everyday.
You are stepping on my toes…badly. As you know, I work as a pharmacist two days a week. I told one of the other pharmacists (and he agreed the same was true for him) that I really need to get out of the profession. I have lost much of my compassion toward many of the people who are customers. The pharmacy in which I work has a large share of drug seekers. On many occasions, I have watched drug deals go down in the parking lot while I eat my lunch in my car. Many of those customers are on Medicaid, which means you and I support their habit and business. It disgusts me. I have to work hard to be nice to them. (just being honest here). Every day I work, I must remind myself that Jesus loves them just like He loves me. Every day, Jesus and I are working on my compassion and mercy. I’m definitely a work in progress.
The secret of a successful job, whether doing labor or a CEO, is doing your work as unto the Lord. This makes for a happy person who neither feels above or below his employee or employer.