Keeping the appointment she had made for that morning, Red* sank down in the chair opposite me. Her red hair blazed against her nursing student uniform. A large desk separated us physically. I soon discovered that a larger obstacle separated her from inner peace.
She apologized for having left her clinical assignment the day before, then began to cry.
I remembered the email from the night before, describing why she’d left clinical: something had wounded her deeply. I listened as the story poured out about a rape by two trusted paramedic instructors years earlier. She’d gone to the hospital, the police, and through a lengthy legal process. Having found no justice, she had given up on a fire-fighting career.
As I listened, I asked God to give me words that would help her no longer be haunted and would encourage and give her hope. As she regained composure, I asked her permission to ask two personal questions. She nodded yes. I asked, “Can I pray for you, now? If I recommend a book, will you read it?” She answered yes to both.
I prayed aloud for wisdom and help. I silently prayed for Red's eyes, ears, and heart to be open to God. I had recently read Divine by Karen Kingsbury, a story of a sexually traumatized woman who is transformed by prayer, faith, and time. I prayed that Red would be healed by the Great Physician.
I asked Red to outline a personal nursing care plan for herself. We contracted to meet weekly. When she arrived the next week, I explained that I held a Christian worldview, meaning my studying and believing the Bible influences my thinking. Based on this, I asked if she wanted to continue meeting. She answered, “Yes, I've tried everything else, and nothing has helped. I don't want to take medication.”
I had bought a copy of Divine and gave it to her. Little did I know Red would turn the pages voraciously, identifying with the character in the book who had similar feelings of pain, betrayal, and anger. The question now was, what did Red want to do about her pain? I asked for permission to share what had healed me—the cross.
I told of how Jesus had healed me from a lifetime of abandonment, loss, and shame, and the change in my life that no one could deny or take from me.. Then I asked, “Do you want the freedom I’ve experienced?”
Red said, “Yes.” She was open to discovering that Jesus is who he says he is—the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Using the truth of Scripture and the nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation, we formed an ongoing care plan that addressed the spiritual, physical, emotional, and moral aspects of humans.
Red wrote out a deeper plan of care in her journal. In the following weeks, she brought her black cover journal, filled with dark and painful writings of her past. She began to write and talk about her newly lightened heart and losing her shame. Arriving early for our weekly appointments, she asked what it meant to be a Christ-follower. She listened intently, absorbing what we discussed.
I noticed Red began to walk taller with a lighter step, blushed less when complimented, and took on challenging presentations for classes. Other faculty members began to notice the changes. When asked, Red shared that she had put her trust in Christ, was reading her Bible, and going to church. She chose to be baptized (Matthew 28:19) on the anniversary of her father's death.
Red's life has been redeemed. She’s no longer red; she’s pink. She’s pink with the newness of Christ, tickled pink with delight in her Savior, pink in confidence. Our meeting was a divine appointment with a divine assignment.
* Name changed to protect privacy.
Elizabeth Vega, DNP, RN, CNE, an associate professor at Concordia University in Irvine, California, authored this article which was published in JCN in 2015.
