Hospital-ity: The Church for Weary and Wounded

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Mark 2:17

When a church makes a decision to join Jesus in this mission of caring for the sick and the wounded by becoming a hospital for the hurting a few things should be expected. (Note to my overly semantic friends, this is an analogy and all analogies break down at some point…I understand that)

1.) We ought to expect the place to get messy because folks will get their blood on our stuff. You might hear someone say, “This is why we can’t have nice stuff.” 

 2.) Sometimes people will come to us thinking they have a bad shoulder and wanting pain relief only to discover they have a clogged artery and are about to have a heart attack. The identified pain is not always the source of the pain. We must be willing to listen and patiently discern the struggle.

3.) Often short staffed and overwhelmed, the place becomes like a triage center. That means there are assessments made regarding which area of brokenness to respond to first. “Yes, I know your torn off toenail hurts like the dickens. Your pain is valid.” In that moment, that’s the pain you know. However, one room over the person lost an arm and is bleeding out. “Give us a minute, let us tend to that and then we will be back with a bag of ice and a band aid.”

4.) Often short staffed and overwhelmed, there aren’t always enough “healthy” people to help the wounded and what happens is that the “less unhealthy” or the “currently recovering” people lend a hand in helping those in a really bad place. Which means…YES…it won’t be perfect. One can’t expect someone still recovering from their own wounds to flawlessly perform assistance. At some point, we just need to be thankful they were willing to jump in an lend a hand.

5.) Yes, the food could be a bit better. The wait times could be a bit less. The beds could be more comfortable. The staff could be more attentive. The monitors are loud and obnoxious when they beep. The X-ray table is freezing when you lay down on it. There will always be something to point out and get frustrated with. Remember this is a hospital and not a country club or luxury hotel. Stick around long enough and we might graduate you from crutches to a mop to help clean up the mess in room 7.

 6.) Be careful jumping to conclusions about why someone is in the condition they are in. Take time to understand the back story of someone’s life. You might discover that what they are currently being treated for is far less life threatening than what they’ve already survived. In fact, when you take time to get to know someone you might walk away thinking, “The fact that they are still standing is amazing.”

 7.) There is not much you can do with someone who comes in but refuses treatment. Acknowledging the problem is the first step toward healing.

8.) The tricky thing about our hospital is that all our “doctors and nurses” have been where those suffering are and most of us are still being treated for ongoing symptoms of our wounds. 

 9.) Be nice to the other people seeking healing. Yes, I know…wounded people wound people. However, a sign of healing is recognizing you are doing that a lot less. Forgive those that haven’t been nice, they just found out their insurance lapsed and they are facing a major surgery…they aren’t in a good mood. 

 10.) A hospital is all about recovery and healing. We really don’t want to leave you in the broken mess you currently find yourself in. Healing and wholeness is possible. It may take an extended stay followed by long term rehabilitation, however, if you take steps each day, listen to those that care for you and walk with you daily, you can experience the great joy of hope and health.