Called to...serve????

#3
Going through college I made myself a vision board. A vision board is something I was taught to do in speech class. It was a tangent that our class went off on, when our professor told us to never forget our dreams. She said we could even make "vision boards" to keep our dreams in plain view. Then every time we saw the board we would be constantly reminded of our dreams, it would encourage us to keep fighting for them. We would remember to run the race with endurance. So I made my vision board and hung it on my wall. It consisted of pictures of everywhere in the world I wanted to go to help people. It had a poem on it that would encourage me each time I would read it. But the main point of the board was something written in big decorated letter which said, "Called to Serve." I wrote that because I knew that, above anything, that was what I wanted to do. Whether that be through nursing or helping in a church or just being a good friend to someone, I knew that was it. As Jesus washed his disciples feet, he called us to be servants of each other. I have decided to be a servant to people through the nursing profession.

But it wasn't until I started clinical that I realized how hard "serving" actually is!!!! It so easy to say and preach, and even make a vision board about. But when it comes to waking up at 4am, going to deal with people that don't necessarily want you there always, working with staff that think you are getting in the way, learning beginning skills like changing depends and peri care, and loving people who may not even remember you tomorrow makes this a little more interesting. The first few days I remember stopping one day, finding myself on my knees in front of an woman who is angry because she is in pain (her legs were aching from her Parkinson's disease), washing her legs and rubbing icy hot on them, trying to soother her pain. My body was exhausted, my knees were hurting, she was bossy and mean, and I really did not want to be helping her at the moment.

When I went home, I reflected on my day. I laughed to myself...so this is what serving is all about! If I only knew it was not as easy as I thought it was. Then I started to feel content and a peace, because I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing. I am living the dream, and serving people with all my heart, even though it is not always fun. This is my calling, and I am living it out.