The Patient in Bed A

A nurse told me once of her experience in tending to patients in a particular room.  Every nurse knows of “good patients” and “bad patients,” and on this particular shift she had one of each in the same room.  The patient in Bed A stayed positive, took time to say thank you for her medications, and asked her once about her own family.  The patient in Bed B hit the call button incessantly, complained about almost everything, and just seemed sour the whole time.

Near the end of her exhausting afternoon shift my friend said to herself, “Lord, when I get old or sick, please let me be more like _________ (the patient in Bed A).”  Then she realized – or “it came to me” – or a Voice said – “Start now.”  The moment was quick, but it was clear.  Start now. It made her realize that neither patient was necessarily acting that way only in the hospital.  They were the same way in their beds as they were in their outside life.  So the only way she could be more like one than the other was to live that way now – with consideration and gratitude.

Stephen Covey taught that one principle for effective living is “To begin with the end in mind.”  Rather than just jumping in to do something, be as clear as you can about the outcome you want. Visualize and identify the result you intend. Not every road will take you to that particular place, just as not every interstate leads to DC. To arrive at a place of serenity and trust, start now.

I just returned from three hospital visits with parishioners who are recovering from surgery and regaining strength.  I’m thankful that all three of them are “Bed A” patients!  I’m personally blessed by their positive spirit in the healing process, their gratitude for their surgeons and nurses, their living in short-term pain without complaint.  Not one of them was crabby or sour; all three lifted my spirits as I hope I did the same for them.

They’ve already started. They’ve found Someone to trust in times of discomfort; a Great Physician who helps heal them; a Spirit that strengthens their inner attitudes; and a loving community that visits and prays for them. These are God’s gifts to us through the church.

I think Bed A patients are comfortable in being receivers – in receiving care as a gift and blessing as a windfall.  Sometimes when we “put on a happy face,” we discover that we grow into the attitudes we adopt; we can indeed “fake it til we make it.” But in the long run, this is a spiritual process. In the long run, it’s less about what we try – and more about Whom we receive.

Why not start now?

Pastor Larry