A Faith Story. . . as shared by Jeff Post
As most of you know, I have chosen a career field that is based on taking care of people – healthcare. I have worked in various areas of the field over the years – EMT, 911 Dispatcher, Paramedic, Nurse, and Nurse Practitioner. This profession has allowed me into thousands of people’s lives during this time period. Throughout, I have always tried to care for those I have met with the concept of “care for them as though they are family”. I want to treat them how I would want my own mother, father, sister, brother, wife or children to be treated. I want them to have the newest technology, the best medications, to be physically healthy as possible; but I also want them to be treated with compassion and care.
In our reading, we have the well-known story of the feeding of the 5,000 from Matthew. The physical details of the seemingly impossible task that Jesus performs in feeding 5,000 men, women, and children with a mere five loaves of bread and two fish is not hard to see as a miraculous event. The part of this story that speaks to me more though, is the human component. Jesus retreats to a deserted place after the death of John the Baptist to get away from the crowds. He needs time to be by himself. I imagine he is feeling tired and weary about the days’ events. The crowd of people follow him there, thought. Does Jesus send them away with a grumble because he’s had a bad day? No, he “had compassion for them and cured their sick.” But that is not where the story ends. Jesus goes a step further in his care of the people. Knowing that they are in a deserted place, with nothing around, the hour is late, Jesus does not send them away into the wilderness to fend for themselves. He feeds them and no one leaves hungry.
In medicine, it is so easy to just treat the physical body and overlook the human factor, especially on those days where I’m tired, overwhelmed with too many people to see and not enough hours in the day. One of the procedures that I do in clinic is foot care. Let’s face it – the idea of touching someone’s feet to perform the trimming of overgrown nails and shave years of dead skin – doesn’t sound like it would be a highlight in most people’s days. But, when I look up at the elderly woman before me who simply can’t bend to reach her feet anymore and the years of standing have taken a toll on the condition of her skin and she is in pain, I can’t help but to see the person in front of me. I can tell that she is embarrassed and repeatedly apologizes about having to do such a task.
After performing the required podiatry skills needed to treat her physical issues, I turn to take care of the human being part of her. I take a warm wet washcloth and wrap it around her feet, allowing it to sit for a few minutes to soothe her achy muscles and rehydrate the skin. I wipe away all the shavings of skin that are left behind. I take an extra moment or two and paint her toenails, giving her the full spa experience. I can’t help but to smile when she leaves the clinic walking so much better than when she arrived and giggling and telling the nurses about her freshly painted hot pink toenails.
My faith story began as a baby, baptized and raised in the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church. I attended Sunday school and worship weekly, was confirmed and attended Parochial school through 8th grade. For all purposes I was brought up to be a strong Christian boy. It was not until I began my career in medicine though, when I really got to know who Jesus was and what it truly meant to live my life as a Christian. I began caring for people whom I knew, but also for those I didn’t. I was there to see the first breath of a baby as it was born, and I was there to see the last breath of an elderly man as he died. I cared for Caucasian, African American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Middle Eastern and various other descents. I listened to concerns in the relationships of those who identified as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, transgender. I did wellness checks on children who came from homes with both parents, single parents, stepparents, foster parent. I saw patients of various shapes, sizes and all economic levels. Through my interaction with the individuals I saw and all their differences they had from myself and others, I noticed that they all shared something in common. They all felt joy, anger, happiness, and sadness at times in their lives. They were all inflicted with the same condition; they were human and needed care.
The truth is we are all one family in Christ, brothers and sisters on this journey in life. As Christians, we are called to care for those around us, without prejudice or judgement. Am I perfect at it? No. I still have much to learn, and some days are harder than others. But as a Christian I will continue to try and care for others as they were family.
-Jeff Post
