Suffering

“True Religion is Care for the Widowed and Orphaned - 

With God Everything is Possible”

“To prevent disease, to relieve suffering and to heal the sick - this is our work.”

William Osler, Aequanimitas

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

The movie, “Les Misérables”, is a powerful and sung story of suffering!  But there is another important dimension to the story, Hope.  Both suffering and hope are critical components of this universal story.  The question for healing agents is “Where do we find Hope?”.

One of my responses to residents facing a clinical challenge was “Hope is not a plan!”.   I was attempting to get them to see and state the “action items” as they confront the uncertainty of obstetric care.   But maybe they were “right”!  “Hope” is the basis of those action items that bring us to the tasks of care.  Hope is that longing for relief that comes from our calling to be with the suffering.  Hope is the spiritual basis of our longing to relieve suffering.

For Christians, suffering and hope are part of a story and a song we sing about a time when there will be no more tears or suffering.   Thanks be to God for the Hope and mission of relieving suffering.

Marvin

References:

Post: Hope, June 18, 2012

Cassel EJ. The nature of suffering and the goals of medicine. New England Journal of Medicine.  306(11):639-45, 1982 Mar 18.

Deal B.  Finding meaning in suffering.  Holistic Nursing Practice.  25(4):205-10, 2011 Jul-Aug.