One of our favorite things about the ministry of Watermark Health is how fueled it is by volunteers. Anna Hughes has served with us for over 5 years now- first at the front desk, eventually as an RN and pastoral care, and this year has been on site as a student working on her degree to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. When she’s not at the clinic, Anna is in one of our city’s ICUs . We asked her to share some of what she’s been learning and what she’d like the church to hear during this time.
I think that it is safe to say that we’ve all been learning a lot during COVID-19.
We are learning how creative (and concerning) people are on TikTok.
We are learning how much control we thought we had but never really did.
We are learning how all the places we once tried to find our identity in aren’t actually as reliable as we thought.
And we are learning that at any given moment the entire world can be totally flipped on its head and everything can change.
It’s a lot to take in.
But there are a few things that have remained the same despite all of the chaos.
And when I say a few, I really mean just two: Jesus and the calling He has placed on our lives.
Whether you know God or not, He has not changed.
In Hebrews 13:8 God’s Word tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
And in Numbers 23:19 we are reminded that, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
We have a God who has not changed since the beginning of creation.
And whether you are a healthcare professional, mailman, grocery store worker, mom, or police officer, the calling He has placed on our lives hasn’t changed either.
What I’ve been reminded of during this season is that while our calling is to know God and make Him known (Mt. 22:36-40), we all do this in a variety of ways. Every single one of those unique ways are vitally important to the effectiveness of the body of Christ as a whole.
So whether you find yourself on the frontlines in an isolation room caring for patients with COVID-19, at your kitchen table trying to teach your fourth and fifth graders material that you have long forgotten, or even alone in your one bedroom apartment on your knees before the Lord, where He has you is intentional and important.
At our Watermark Health clinics we would not be able to function if our volunteers were all nurses, or all PAs, or all EMTs. We need our front desk volunteers, our pastoral care volunteers, our kind friends that just like to bring us food (we really need them), and our parking lot security officers.
The clinics were designed by architects who donated their time and built by construction management professionals that gave of their hours. There is even an accountant that has volunteered their time each year to help us document our finances as needed. This place is fueled by a variety of members with different skillsets, giftings, and life stories that have raised their hand to serve their community.
In the same way that we need every single person to play their part at our clinics so that we can keep our doors open, we need you on the frontlines wherever the Lord has you keeping your doors to your “clinic” open.
You are essential to the body of Christ.
As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, the Church is a body, and the body needs all of its parts to function as it should.
There are no nonessential members of the Church.
While each of our callings and mission fields may look different, they are all vitally important to His kingdom work here on earth.
During this time I hope we are reminded that our calling is not our career. Our value is not in our relational status as mom or wife. We do not find our identity in in whether or not we are considered essential. And our happiness does not ride on our expectations or plans coming to fruition.
These are simply all avenues by which we live out our greatest calling: to know God and make Him known.
When we find the world shifting under our feet, we can have confidence that the God in whom we find our identity has not changed one bit.
We are praying for you, church. Be faithful with today. Fight for justice and grace and compassion. Don’t let the difficulty of changing times take you off course.
“Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12