Today I am irritated by the unconscious rudeness of others. At work today, we had a lot of CNAs call off so I was calling around to find replacements. One of the CNAs I got a hold of told me, "I am a Christian. I believe that Sunday is a day of rest. So I can't come in to work." I nicely thanked her and said bye. But her comments did not sit well with me.
I could tell that she thought carefully about what she said, but I found her statements rude. It made me feel that because I was working on a Sunday that I am some sort of hedonist or atheist. I am a God-fearing woman. I too, believe in keeping the Sabbath. Unfortunately, as a nurse, I occasionally have to work weekends, including Sundays. Hospitals and nursing homes don't close just because it's Sunday. Life doesn't go on hold for Sunday. I would love to keep Sunday as a day of rest. But I also believe that the sabbath is more than Sunday. It's a way of living. There's a book that I borrowed from Mom Boone, that I haven't quite finished, called Sabbath Keeping
(which is a really good book, btw). But it talks about Sabbath keeping throughout your week, not just on Sundays. The work I do on Sundays as a nurse, is also a form of Sabbath. It's a blessing for me to care for these Grandmas and Grandpas, as I'm sure they find the work I do as blessing as well.
(which is a really good book, btw). But it talks about Sabbath keeping throughout your week, not just on Sundays. The work I do on Sundays as a nurse, is also a form of Sabbath. It's a blessing for me to care for these Grandmas and Grandpas, as I'm sure they find the work I do as blessing as well.It is unnecessary to make such comments about being a Christian, when declining to work a shift. Those who work on Sundays are also Christians. There are times I even work 8 hours on Sunday and still make it to church. There's no need to impress your beliefs on someone when turning down a shift. That's not the right time to have a religious conversation. So just keep your comments to yourself. Next time, if you don't want to work, regardless of reason, just say "I can't come in." End of story.
Well stated. Sometimes people take one concept of Christian living, and forget all the rest...like being gracious?? Or how about showing a little mercy and compassion to someone in need? People don't think sometimes. But you know we all make those kinds of mistakes sometimes.
ReplyDeleteSo true Andrea! We all make mistakes sometimes. And I realize she didn't mean it to be rude in any way, but I couldn't help but feel put out by her comment.
ReplyDeleteGood perspective Grace! You are such a tremendous blessing to your patients. God definitely placed you on this earth to be a wonderful wife, daughter, sister, friend, nurse, co-worker, etc., as you are all of these things! I can appreciate that your co-worker is trying to keeping Sunday as a day of rest and time with God, however in doing that she cannot forget about her responsibilites to her patients and co-workers (especially last minute!). That is not something she should ever call-off work for, as she should abide by her commitments. It would have been appropraite for her to have that conversation in person with her supervisor when making the next schedule :) Keep up the great work Gracie! Lots of love!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jack! Just to clarify, I was calling her in to work because we were short staffed. She wasn't on the schedule so she wasn't falling short on her commitments. =) I just didn't like her statement because I felt that it seemed like those of us working on Sunday weren't Christians. Does that make sense?
ReplyDelete