Journal of Sacred Work

We build the human heart
   and lock it in its chest
   and hope that what we have made can save us.
                 -Campbell McGrath

   It’s an old story and it’s one that has always fascinated me. Three men are laying bricks. Each is asked what they are doing. The first bricklayer says, "I’m laying bricks." The second says, "I’m building a wall." The third stands back, looks at the partially done wall, and proclaims, "I’m building a cathedral."
   To be saved, the human heart needs hope. To live our lives using our highest energies, we need to feel that our work serves a purpose greater than ourselves. The caregiver who thinks of her work as mopping the floor or giving patients shots or "pushing pills" is probably less likely to offer loving care than the person who thinks of his work as a calling…

   Does this mean that the first bricklayer will do a worse job than the third one? Not necessarily. What it means is that without a sense of purpose, our hearts are lost and we are at risk for becoming automatons. The first bricklayer may do his work more skillfully if, for example, he takes pride in his workmanship. This means, of course, that he has attached purpose to his bricklaying and his purpose is his personal code that calls him to do the work in the best way. It is also true that for the third bricklayer to be motivated, he has to feel that building a catherdral is a meaningful mission and that his part in this effort is also important.
   Why does the Journal offer the idea that caregiving is sacred work? It is because when it is seen that way caregivers are more energized to attend to the work with their best efforts. Caregivers who view their work as sacred do not need to be warned about medication errors or other kinds of sloppiness. Someone who views their work as meaningful will naturally exert the highest possible effort to deliver the best care possible.
   We know the challenge here. It is our human tendency to forget. So many aspects of caregiving can seem monotonous and mundane. The first time a nurse attends a delivery, she or he is typically both anxious and thrilled. The two hundredth time, she is less likely to be anxious and more at risk for forgetting the sacred nature of birth.
   Repetition can breed complacency. And complacency can give way to burnout which in turn can cause errors and a dangerous drop in caregiver energy. That is why it is so critical that leaders engage in regular efforts to motivate, inspire and encourage staff. And that is why leaders also need to lift up, all the time, stories that describe the hallowed nature of caregiving.
  Why do some engaged in repetitive labor like to sing while they are working? It is because music can reduce the risk of monotony by returning joy to the labor. This is the value, for example, of spirituals. If I am caught in the middle of work that is tiresome and I am working for a boss that makes no effort to offer support or encouragement, than I must find inspiration all by myself. Music can help.
    Indeed, the original spirituals (kept alive today by organizations like the Fisk Jubilee singers and by countless others who sing them both in work and at church) are called exactly that becaue they were created by enslaved people to lift their spirits in the midst of oppression. It gave them a chance to sing to each other and to a higher and more noble presence – God. 
   What raises most people’s energy is their ability to keep their eyes on a goal loftier than what any boss may or may not say. It is to remember, each day, that every loving effort to meet the need of another is inherently sacred. Whenever we are acting from our heart to help another, we are doing God’s work.