Nurses are amazing catalysts for change as they inspire, innovate and influence their patients and colleagues in nursing and healthcare. Because all patients are unique, they present nurses with opportunities to teach, motivate, and relate to them to promote health and healing. Nurses also have countless opportunities to share their knowledge and skills, investigate new patient-care strategies, and create healthy work places.
Putting your faith into practice through inspiration, innovation, and influence will benefit patients and nursing—and yourself—in lasting ways.
Here are brief definitions of these three catalytic nursing actions:
- Inspire: to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence
- Innovate: to introduce something new; make changes in anything established
- Influence: to exercise influence on; affect; sway
Certainly, Jesus inspired, innovated, and influenced a variety of people. Fishermen, tax collectors, religious leaders, and lepers are among those who made huge life changes after they encountered the living Lord.
Think About It
In Mark 2:1-12 we read how Jesus healed a paralyzed man who was changed forever, along with many people who witnessed the miracle. But the actions of the four men who carried the paralytic in this story are significant, too.
Read the following story and reflect on how four men inspired, innovated, and influenced others by their care for their critically ill friend.
Mark 2:1-12 (NIV)
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Discuss It
- Who are the characters in this story? How did they respond differently to Jesus?
- What examples do you see of inspiration, innovation, and influence in the care given to the paralyzed man? Reflect on the people in your sphere of influence in nursing. How can you “carry them to Jesus” to be forever changed by him?
- Even though the story does not reveal the reasons, why do you think the four friends carried the paralyzed man to Jesus? What assessment did Jesus make of the man’s needs?
- How did Jesus respond when powerful people resisted his attempts at innovative care?
- How do the people respond to the miracle they just witnessed? What do you think the people knew about God that compelled them to respond in this way?
- Have you encountered nursing issues that could benefit from a Christian influence? What might God be calling you to do about this issue?
Take It Home
- Praise God for his efforts to inspire, innovate and influence his people by reflecting on his words in Isaiah 43:18-19: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
- What “new thing” is God doing in you or through you? Ask God for his guiding presence today as you serve him in your nursing practice.
