Wednesday, February 22, 2012

to my beloved classmates

i have yet to have written on this blog. 
i have my own blog that i update fairly regularly, so writing here too seems redundant. 
but for whatever reason, it's 2 am, i'm still awake (thank you, night shift), and i feel like writing to you all. 

the collective life changes in the life of our little group in the past few months is unreal. 
marriages (congrats jacy and clara!), cross-country moves,  new jobs, new cars (not yet for me though :) and so many other things. 
my life hasn't changed as much as many of yours. 
and for that, I'm grateful. 
i don't know about for you all, but being a "real nurse" has had enough challenges for me. 

adjusting to the pressures of working in a hospital, the reality shock of interacting with non-Christian coworkers, and the stress of feeling responsible for patient's well-being is huge. 
the past month or so i've finally started to feel like i've hit a little bit of a rhythm. 
as much as you can when your schedule's so irregular. 

but what i want to say to myself and to you all, the reason i wrote this, is to remind us WHAT A BLESSING we've been given!
what a blessing it is to be in the position we are in. 
what a blessing that people trust us with intimate and private details of their life.
what a blessing that we have the power to impact people's lives for the worse or for the better.
what a blessing that we have the Spirit of God in us and are able to speak words of LIFE in a place filled with suffering, despair and death. 

i've been challenged recently to do just that: speak words of life. 
speak words of life when i speak with my unsaved coworkers.
speak words of life to my patients and their families who are hurting, scared or even hostile. 

i pray that God uses each of us in mighty ways wherever He has placed us, and that by our love in word and deed those we encounter would be pointed to our Savior. 

i love and miss you all!

by his grace and for his glory,
betsy