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NURS 502 DB 3 Christian Worldview
“I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 30:17,
NIV). Jesus came to heal the sick. The Bible is interspersed with examples of him healing those
with illnesses. Some examples include the blind and lame men and the woman with the blood
disorder who touched the hem of his garment and was healed (Matthew 9:20). Mental and
emotional anguish are important to God too. Jesus stated that those who grieve will be comforted
(Matthew 5:4) and Psalm 147:3 says that God heals the brokenhearted.
When comparing a nursing environment to a Christian worldview I feel that they are
similar. The very basis of “love your neighbor”(Mark 12:31, NIV) and “care for the sick and
fatherless” (James 1:27, NIV) defines nursing. Of course, this is from my point of view and
understood that others can see it differently. As Christians, we should convey Christ in all that we
do. How we live and how we convey Christ’s love has a big impact on leading others to Christ.
We can trace back the standard of nursing to those who had the desire to care for the sick. They
sought God’s guidance and followed his leading. “Nursing grew out of a Christian worldview, in
response to Jesus’ teaching and example of caring for the sick” (Shelly & Miller, 2006, p. 43).
Comparing my nursing environment with a Christian worldview is easy. I am a
postpartum nurse who participates in the deliveries of babies. As a witness during these births, I
am mesmerized at the idea of two tiny cells forming a perfectly designed human being who
immediately knows how to breath the second he/she is born, whose heart reroutes itself the
minute that first breath happens, and that infant instinctively knows and learns who mom is and
where nutrition will now come from. I am an eyewitness to the fact that there is a Creator every
time I participate in the birthing process. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have had to
partake in births whose outcomes are less desirable. Babies who have passed away in utero,
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terminal congenital anomalies, or traumatic births will cause distress for the mom and family
who have loved this baby during pregnancy. This part of nursing also adapts to the example of
God taking care of those who mourn and are broken. Again, from my perspective, my nursing
environment and Christian worldview go hand-in hand.
Our goal as Christian nurses is to provide patient care that is wholistic and acknowledges
their part in creating an environment of support and healing. Nurses and patients make a team as
they work together, making a plan of care and develop a healing environment. The Christian
nurse recognizes that Christ is within the partnership of healing and working together as the
vision of homeostasis is established. This is a powerful energy and connection that reaches
beyond human level (Pfeiffer, 2018). I recognize that this is not the experience that other nurses
may have, yet I was witness to the reflection of Christ during the pandemic. Many of my nurses
and techs would work beyond their regular shifts, helping the understaffed Covid units. There is
no greater definition of Christ’s love than when another person puts aside his/her fears and cares
for those who are sick and dying.
References
Pfeiffer, J. (2018). Strategies christian nurses use to create a healing environment. Religions,
9(11), 352. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9110352
Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B. (2006). Called to care: A christian worldview for nursing (2nd ed.).
IVP Academic.
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