It has been said that if you love what you do, it's not work. That being said, I love what I do for a living as a hospice chaplain. Those that really know me can attest that I love to help people and meet their deepest needs. Today, I had one of those moments where I was able to do just that.
I believe that the two most moving life moments are when a baby is born and when a person dies. It was a moving and breath taking moment to hear the screams of both my boys as they took their first breaths of air out of the womb, especially following the loss of our 9 day old premature daughter who we were never able to hear her cry.
It is also a moving a breath taking moment to be in the midst of someone who breaths their last breath. I have been with parishioners in my church during these moments as well as my own flesh and blood. These birth and death moments are sacred and hallowed whereby God brought to life and ceased to exist.
I went to the bedside of a patient today where they were surrounded by their loved ones. After being there for approximately one hour, the patient slipped peacefully from this earth into the presence of Jesus. Being that the patient and entire family were believers in Christ, it made it all the more helpful to console them as they have the Hope that they will see their loved one again in heaven.
After the patient died, the family and I went to an area to pray away from the patient. As we were walking down a hallway, a family member said that we all needed to go to a room and let the chaplain talk to us. As this family member said that, I realized once again what an awesome privilege and responsibility I have as a spiritual shepherd in times like this to share the Word of God and to pray with them. As I read from John 14 about not letting our hearts be troubled, the family began to share intimate moments about their loved one.
As a pastor or chaplain, we often are invited to walk alongside a family in the midst of their darkest hour. And it is a privilege that we do not take for granted. To be able to share the comfort that God gives in these times is not work, it what the body of Christ does. Whether you're a pastor, chaplain, business person, waitress, teacher, lawyer, or plumber, when we are used by God to help people in need, it's not work, it is being the hands and feet of Jesus.
