As Christian nurses we can experience the Presence of the Holy Spirit. This is more than just attentively listening and communicating with a patient as with “being present.” This is being used by God to connect with patients.  The Holy Spirit’s indwelling is a wonderful blessing and part of our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is also how we can connect with others as part of God’s work in their lives and our own.

One such special time was with a difficult patient. I was struggling to feel like my work as a med/surg nurse really mattered and that I was being used by God. One day a call light came on for a patient that I was not assigned to, but new very well. He was considered a “frequent flyer” because of his chronic disease and difficult behavior. I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to answer his call light, which I did. That moment began a long relationship of seeing this patient beyond my med/surg nurse eyes and heart. I knew the Holy Spirit was intervening for this man, because my eyes and heart were opened in a way that I could not of otherwise seen. Actually, one of my indicators now, that the Holy Spirit is working in my heart, is when I notice, see or feel things that are beyond me or outside my normal feelings.

I would enjoy hearing your stories of how you experience the Holy Spirit in your work.

Read the article: Presence in this month’s JCN. There I give a great example of the difference between “being present” and the Holy Spirit’s presence in nursing. There is also a snap-shot of the Bible’s teaching on the unique person of the Trinity, called the Holy Spirit.