I Could Never Do That

Hospice Nurse

Whenever I tell someone I am a hospice nurse, the general response is, "I could never do that." While I understand the sentiment, I often wonder if the individual is saying this because they think I want everyone to do what I do.

I don't.

Hospice nursing is a tough job. So is pastoring a church, teaching a room full of children (or teenagers), stepping into a bucket and being raised to the height of an electrical line, window washing the side of a multistory building, standing behind the counter at a fast food chain, or even walking a dog. You name it, there is no job or career out there that every person can do. Or should.

I work with someone who loves her Excel spreadsheets. I have had the worst time trying to learn how to utilize them. Sure, if someone sets something up for me, I can plug in data and get where I need to be. BUT to open a blank document and create something? I'll leave that to those who have that ability. And I am sure people would leave MS Word Track Changes to me.

Where am I going with this? I'm glad you asked. 😇

The Lord never called us to be or do the same things as others. He never asked us to become imposters. Listen to Paul:

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness (Romans 12:3-8 ESV).

Talent Synonym

With this in mind, I wouldn't want anyone to become a nurse, a doctor, a pastor, a teacher, or even a dog walker, unless they knew they had an affinity towards this. For example, I was never comfortable disciplining other people's children, so babysitting was miserable for me. But my daughter was everyone's favorite babysitter. She'd plan crafts, games, and have the children excited for her visits. Some people are either allergic to pet dander or simply uncomfortable around animals, so taking a dog-walker job or pet-sitting would likely end in disaster at worst and stress for the individual.

Sadly, I have also caught myself thinking (for a time) that if I didn't have similar gifts/abilities as others, I wouldn't measure up, or qualify to be part of their community. This simply isn't true. Paul, again, addresses these thought processes:

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body (1 Corinthians 12:14-10 ESV).

In other words, if we are trying to be someone God has not ordained for us to be, we set ourselves up for unnecessary stress. There is nothing wrong with living life as a laborer when people all around you are corporate moguls. It's okay to work in trades when everyone else in the room wears a degree on their badge. It's okay to stop college at a certificate, associate's, bachelor's degree when your neighbors are PhDs.

It's not okay to compare yourself to them and think any less of yourself (or them) for the choices made. It's not okay to pursue something just because it's the accepted trajectory of the career.

Seek the Lord. Ask Him for direction and wisdom. Because when you do you will "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light (Colossians 1:10-12 ESV).

Stay tuned for a new series: The Person in the Seat Next to Me and The Benefits of Praying Scripture coming soon. 

Until next time, Karlene 💜