As nursing students our skills may be limited, but as Christians we can help in miraculous ways. I worked as a nursing companion in acute care, a position for nursing students with responsibilities limited to basic patient care.
One of my first patients was an older man with Alzheimer's disease. I was called to sit with him because of his risk for falls and elopement. His wife shared their beautiful love story that spanned almost 45 years. My heart broke as I watched her pain trying to communicate with her husband who didn't know her. A physician explained that the patient wasn't eating or drinking enough and could require an IV and/or feeding tube. The wife broke down and left the room.
I prayed silently for God to comfort my patient, his wife to find peace, and to use me to support them. After prayer, I encouraged my patient to eat. At first, he seemed interested, but he soon became agitated and swatted my hand away. I could feel my frustration rising, and again I prayed. To my surprise, I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to sing. I had never sung for a patient before and didn't know what to sing, but “Amazing Grace” came to mind.
My patient stopped suddenly at the sound and eyed me curiously. Nervously, and still singing, I tried again to feed him. As I raised the spoon to his mouth, he looked at me, smiled, and nodded. I felt like crying for joy as he ate his entire dinner and drank two cups of water and three protein drinks while I continued to sing. Afterward, he put his hand on my arm, looked past me, and stared in awe. I don't know what he saw; all I know is the look on his face was full of joy. Tears rolled down his face as he said, “You have brought me to a wonderful place.”
When his wife returned, she was amazed and asked how I got him to eat. Apprehensively, I told her I had sung hymns to calm him. With tears in her eyes, she hugged me. She told me she was raised a Christian but lost her faith when her husband was diagnosed. She thanked me, and at her request, we prayed together. She asked me to sing again, and as I began, she joined in.
It was a beautiful moment. I stood in awe of God's answer to prayer. We cannot underestimate God's capability to use us.
Jannina M. Londoño was a nursing student in New York when she wrote this article for the Journal of Christian Nursing.
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