Journal of Sacred Work

²⁹Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;
³⁰you shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all
your strength.’
³¹The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 (emphasis added)

 
Caregivers typically work in highly structured settings. Hospitals and many large charities have clearly defined hierarchies. When caregivers are asked, "Whom do you report to?" they often respond with words like, "My manager, my supervisor, my director, a vice president."
   Is there a better response? I got some guidance on this from a very unlikely source…

   In an interview on National Public Radio many months back, a former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was asked about his reporting responsibilities during his term. As a member of the President’s cabinet, the answer seems obvious. He reports to the President. Instead, he said, "I report to the land."
   What a beautiful way for such a powerful official to think of his job. Agriculture is about the land and those who farm it and those who consume its produce. We want our leaders to pierce political structures and remember that they serve not a boss but the people.
   For caregivers, this example tells us that we don’t report to managers, we report to patients (and their loved ones.) The way we serve God is to serve patients and anyone else who come to us in need. The way we love God is to love our neighbors. As we know, this means everyone, not only patients but our fellow team members, visitors, those for whom we are responsible as leaders, and, yes, even our "bosses" on the organization chart.
   The first commandment of Radical Loving Care is also the first commandment of faith – to live Love, not fear. We are called to put aside fear of "bosses" and fear for our jobs and to replace it with love for our work.
   We report to God. And the caregivers way to show this is to remember that we report to patients. That is whom we serve. That is the way we live the commandment that is greater than all others.

-Erie Chapman