Journal of Sacred Work

"In the celebration that is the healing, we should never doubt what our coworkers bring to the party." -Xavier Espinosa

   A wonderful caregiver and frequent commenter in this Journal, Xavier Espinosa, has shared with us a wonderful and powerful way to ask an old question. Millions of times a day, people ask others, "What do you do?"

   In caregiving, as with most other roles, we tend respond at the surface level. "I'm a nurse." or "I'm a housekeeper." This tells others what we do, but not the deeper meaning of how what we do helps others.

   As Xavier points out, when we expand our answer, we enlarge the definition of our daily work. As we do this, our work becomes more and more meaningful.

   Questions focus energy. It's remarkable to see the way a repeated question can raise and extend energy for those who think more deeply about the meaning of their work.

   I once asked a radiologic technologist what he did. "I'm just a button-pusher," he replied.

   Imagine if this caregiver limited his own thoughts to his role. If he is "just a button-pusher" his work doesn't matter very much. If his work doesn't matter, than his interactions with patients may not matter either.

  In Xavier's exercise, if the "button-pusher" keeps expanding his answer he will hopefully arrive at the conclusion that he is a caregiver who, many times a day, affects the lives of others.

   In my book, Radical Loving Care, I tell the story of Lois Powers, a woman I met while I was president of Nashville's Baptist Hospital. Lois's name-tag said she was a cashier. But, Lois understood she was much more than that. During her brief encounters with people passing her cash register, she would tell jokes to brighten the days of customers or reach out a caring hand if she sensed sadness. "After all, this is a hospital" she told me one day. "People may feel very worried when I meet them. I want to take a moment to help."

  Those who have come to think of their work as only what's on their name tag are more likely to 1) experience burn-out, 2) make more mistakes, 3) be less likely to offer healing to others. All of this is because, in their minds, their job doesn't really matter very much. They may be there only for a paycheck.

   Xavier's questioning exercise may cause people to rediscover the meaning of their work as caregivers. When they re-learn this, they rediscover joy. Energy returns, mistakes are less frequent because they are a caregiver, not a "button-pusher."

   The right pattern of questions and the answers we give ourselves open the doors of our hearts to the energy of healing. All because of an old question answered in new ways.

   Thank you, Xavier.

-Reverend Erie Chapman