Your Work Matters
Why you are never just a nurse, or just a mom, or just a writer, we are all infinitely more
As nurses, it can be easy to find ourselves believing that we are “just a nurse.”
Family members often want to talk to the doctors more than they want to talk to us.
Doctors can sometimes come across as annoyed by our many pages and concerns.
And sometimes “RN” often feels like it stands for “refreshments and narcotics” instead of “registered nurse,” here to care for you and improve your health.
We tend to get more code “browns” (use your imagination) than we do code blues that actually require life saving skills.
And many times it can feel like we spend more time passing meds and charting than we do actually changing lives.
So we come to believe that we are just nurses.
But then…
Then there’s that one patient.
That one patient who you end up spending just a few extra moments with because quite frankly you just need a break from the rest of your work day that goes on without you outside of their room.
And in those extra few minutes you spend with them, they kindly compliment you and thank you.
They tell you, the work you’re doing matters.
That they appreciate you and that your work is not going unnoticed.
And you thank God for those moments.
Because He knew it was just the words you needed to hear.
In the book, Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller, he tells the story of a doorman and how he does his work. He writes…
Now in his early sixties, Mike emigrated to the U.S. from Croatia as a young man and worked in many kinds of jobs, from the restaurant business to manual labor. He has been a doorman in the building for twenty years and is clearly distinctive in his attitude toward his work. To Mike it’s far from just a job. He cares about the people in the building and takes pride in helping with loading, finding parking spaces, and welcoming guests. He sets the standard for keeping the lobby and front of the building clean and attractive.
When asked what makes him drop what he’s doing and get to the curb in time to help unload a resident’s car after a weekend he responds, “that’s my job” or “They needed help.” Why does he remember the name of every child? “Because they live here.” At one point, to the question, “But why do you work so hard at every part of this job?” he replied, “I don’t know..it’s just what I need to be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try my best every day.” He appears to work out of gratefulness for the job and for his life. He is glad to be in this country and for the opportunities it has given him.”
Most of the people Mike serves are professionals or businesspeople who are probably glad not to be doormen. Some might even find the work of a doorman demeaning if they had to do it themselves. But Mike’s attitude shows that he recognizes the inherent dignity of the work he is doing; and in this, he brings out its goodness and worth.”
He goes on to write, “All work has dignity because it reflects God’s image in us, and also because the material creation we are called to care for is good.”
No matter what occupation or type of work we find ourselves in, it has dignity. It is not wasted work.
You will never be just a nurse. Or just a waitress. Or just a mom.
You are a servant of God. Given life and work to serve and enjoy His people and His creation.
And while His people and His creation may remain broken now, they will one day be made whole again. And so will our work and our dreams.
And there is nothing more beautiful.
Whether you are getting someone a warm blanket, a cup of water, cutting their grass, or carrying their luggage, your work is important.
Because the truth is, you aren’t just giving someone a warm blanket — or cutting their yard, or carrying their luggage — you are serving a person, created in God’s image, loved by Him, and caring for His creation.
