Someone sent me an email recently about nurses; in the email was the quotation,
"If not for you, someone may not be living."
How true. How many lives are each of us called on to save.
Mothers in families are the healthcare providers, nursing childhood illnesses, sick husbands or partners, saving children from electrocuting themselves or knocking pots of boiling water from the stove over and burning.
Mothers stay up all night, with sick children with breathing problems or running temperatures.
Mothers take children to doctors, do without food and necessities themselves to give the very best to their children.
This is love.
Fathers care for their wives or partners, help to nurse their sick young, take turns in caring for the baby of the family.
Fathers step in to help save people from burning houses at the risk of their lives, throw themselves in front of family members being threatened by intruders in order to save the loved ones' lives at the risk of their own.
At times they give up their lives to protect those around them.
Fathers like my dad do dangerous jobs at risk of their lives to put food on the table, a roof over the heads and education in the minds of their loved ones.
Dad went underground in mines, nearly losing his life and developing health problems on a number of occasions - and thinking nothing of it - to care for us, his loved family.
This is love.
Doctors can work up to 36 hour shifts under tremendous pressure to try to save lives, bring ease to pain, remove life threatening illnesses, deliver babies safely in the most life-threatening situations to both mother and child.
Doctors put their lives on the line walking into rooms with infectious diseases to treat infectious sufferers and save their lives.
Doctors work in war torn areas putting together in torn and agonised human bodies what others are trying to destroy.
This is love.
My mom always says it takes a woman nine months to grow a baby to birth, pain to deliver the little one, and many years and great expense to bring that baby to adulthood and independence.
It takes a moment to wipe out that treasured life.
Doctors treasure that life too.
In India I was told by my guru that "A doctor is God's other self."
There are so many instances of men and women selflessly saving lives; giving good information, being telephone receptionists to take emergency calls, being telephone volunteers to assist those lonely or in crisis, firefighters, police putting their lives at risk to keep the vulnerable in the community safe.
All of these actions stem from love.
Love and its close sisters compassion and empathy are the prime force of good in our society.
Ministers are an example of that wonderful force, too.
An elderly wise priest once told me years ago that God did not have to send ministers as shepherds to his lost and lonely flock wandering the earth, yearning for Him and for peace and healing from the travails of this life and to signpost the way to a better life in Heaven.
God chose to call people to tend to others in their need in His Name as a free gift.
He could have left us alone - He chose not to.
Such is His Love for each and every one of us.
Let us save lives.
Let each of us look at our own life.
If we are putting our life at risk by smoking, heavy drinking, unsafe practices, drunken driving, using knives, guns and other equipment to hurt others, let us change our lifestyle in honour of the Prince of Peace Who was promised to our earth.
Let us live good lives which will be a blessing, not a burden, to those around us.
Let us choose a career which will help others - nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, ministers, psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, family counsellors, mothers, fathers, pharmacists, drivers of ambulances, trams, and public transport - pilots and staff to safely transport people and necessary equipment - administration - librarians and teachers to impart knowledge - musicians and artists to bring joy.
There are so many careers - let us choose one after prayer to God for guidance, which will help to build up our own lives in security and peace, and build up our community - and let us save lives.
And remember - it is a wonderful thing to hear the words, "If not for you, someone may not be living."
"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given,
For the government is laid upon His shoulders,
And His Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God, Prince of Peace."
From The Book of the great Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 9, verse 6.
See link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQrCYzaWUU0
With thanks to Youtube
Photograph by Rev Catherine Nicolette, for use copyright free
