Love of Christ

I have not faced anything more challanging to my faith than being on call and seeing patients in the ER. The fact that the E in ER stands for Emergency and yet we see so many people with coughs, runny noses, upset stomachs, drug addictions, etc can make one very cynical if they are not careful. Many of the people seen in the ER are abusing the system, which makes it even more difficult.

I have found myself at times not having a Christ-like attitude and it bothers me. I have found that if I don't pray and ask for God to work through me that night, to help me have the love of Christ and to be His hands and feet, that I most often will have a "bad" night. My last few calls have kept me up until 3 and 4 in the morning (it is currently 2 am). But by approaching call with Christ's love in mind, I have found it to be much more enjoyable.

I once lived with a group of guys and my job gave me a lot more free time than they had. I approached doing small tasks such as the dishes and cleaning up as a way to serve them and found that I enjoyed doing these things. I wish I could say it has been that way since, but I can truely say that approaching these tasks with the right attitude and right motives made all the difference.

I think we can apply this to all areas of life. I believe if we take the Colosians 3:23 approach to all things in life our day will be much simpler and more enjoyable. If our focus is on Christ, in being His hands and feet, so that we look to the interest of others before ourself, then we will find joys in this life not yet known. Try it, I dare you.