“Mudding a House” Hands
Tabitha Ministry Kenya
Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha,
which in Greek is Dorcas.
She was devoted to good works and acts of charity.
Acts 9:36 (NRSV)
Did you here the joke about the family physician, the psychiatrist and internist who were all asked how they would fix the practice of medicine? You can find their answers by reading their books (see references; Downing, Nussbaum and Rosenthal), but it is not easy reading and it certainly is no joke! These authors are longing for another and deeper dimension to what they see and do everyday. It will not be found in new technology, another degree, or a new title with more compensation.
My diagnosis and prescription is that we have lost a sense of charity and the joy that was an integral part of our identity. Maybe that is what can be rediscovered in our vocation. It may mean getting our hands dirty at the same time we rethink our professional identities.
I have seen it in the dedicated lives of physicians, nurses, physical therapists who have defied the dominant medical culture. What you will find in those lives is a deep sense of charity and joy.
Thanks be to God for these other voices and their works of charity.
Marvin
References
Personal photo from a house mudding with “Tabitha Ministry”
Downing, R. (2011). Biohealth: Beyond Medicalization: Imposing Health. Wipf & Stock Pub.
Nussbaum, A. M. (2016). The Finest Traditions of My Calling: One Physician’s Search for the Renewal of Medicine (1 ed.). Yale University Press.
Rosenthal, E. (2017). An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back (1 ed.). Penguin Press.
Hage, M. L. (2013). Joy.
Hage, M.L. (2016) Joy of Healing
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