Isaiah 11:3-4 He will not judge by what He sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness, he will judge the needy.
It was a busy Monday morning as I rushed into the hospital, punched in, grabbed a coffee, and sat down to get my assignment for the day. I enjoyed being a nurse on a busy Med/Surg floor. It made my job interesting and it gave me many opportunities to shine for Jesus. I listened intently to my report and knew it would be a busy day. I had five patients that day, but one of my assignments caught my eye. This was a middle-aged woman who came in through the ER the night before. She was in heart failure and the report said she weighed 650 pounds. I thought to myself, certainly she can't be that big. The night nurse said when she came in, she had been home for months not being able to bathe properly because of her weight and the smell was so bad that it filled the hallways. No one could even walk by her room without noticing how strong the smell was. As my mind wandered, I thought about a pastor’s testimony I had read once. He held a homeless man in his arms as he repented and gave His life to Jesus. He said the smell was so bad he could hardly bear it. "That's what my sin must have smelled like to Jesus," he wrote. This smell didn’t compare to how my sin smelled to my precious Jesus before He rescued me.
After report, I walked to her room first just to see if they might be exaggerating. I gasped quietly as I entered the room. I had never seen anyone so large. My heart went out to her. I started in with my day taking care of her like she was my only patient. I noticed when I introduced myself as her nurse she wouldn't look me in the eye when she talked to me. I could feel the thickness of the air as she was completely self conscious and embarrassed of her state. As soon as I saw her, I decided in my heart that I wanted to go out of my way to let her know that she didn't disgust me and her life mattered to me and not only that, Jesus loved her even in her condition. No matter how bad my day went, I would treat her with love and compassion. There were times when I would have a doctor on hold and three patients that hadn't gotten their medications yet, but when that bell rang to her room, I would go in and make sure I was smiling. When I talked with her, I made a point to make eye contact with her. Whenever I had a chance, I would touch her hand and smile at her and show compassion to her. I’ll never forget the first time I touched her hand, she looked shocked. It was almost as if she thought she was untouchable. No matter what, I showed love. Love conquers all through Jesus Christ and I knew it.
At the end of the first day, surprisingly she started to trust me. She quietly opened up to me and shared her sad heart. Sadly, she came in through the ER the night before and when she was coming out of the ambulance a doctor was holding the door open for her. He had given her a look of total disgust. At a time when you should feel safe and secure, she felt uncomfortable and embarrassed. Unfortunately, this same doctor that held the door open for her ended up seeing her in the ER. With sadness, she shared what an uncomfortable experience it was for her.
As I quietly listened, I was cut to the heart. I was helpless and inadequate to say anything to help her. The only thing I could think of to say was that Jesus loved her and that her life mattered to Him. No matter what she felt, her life was meaningful to Jesus and to me.
At the end of the shift, as I did my final rounds, I saved her room for last. On my way out the door, I let her know that I had been praying for her because I cared about her and God loved her no matter what. She smiled reluctantly and thanked me for praying for her.
A few days before meeting Nora, I was reading the Word of God. The Holy Spirit spoke to me so powerfully through Isaiah 11:3-4 He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness, he will judge the needy. I knew when I read it that the Lord was speaking to me, but I didn’t know the full extent of His Words until I saw this woman. When I left her room, I thought of this verse that was still preserved in my heart. I decided if Jesus does not judge with His eyes or His ears but righteously judges the needy, then that is exactly what I will do. I held this truth within myself whenever I had contact with her and applied it to my actions, my thoughts, and my behavior.
I came upon the second day of caring for Nora. This day, I noticed when I started talking with her she began to make eye contact with me when we spoke. This was one of those days when I just didn’t have a second to spare. It was such a busy day full of sick people needing every minute just to feel comfortable. But once again, I repeated the same thing over again. When I went into and out of her room, I was smiling. As far as I was concerned, when I was in her room, she was the only patient I had for that day.
As I checked her IV fluids and assessed her breathing, she told me about her life. I don’t know why she shared with me…maybe she just never had anyone who ever listened. But you see, Jesus had given me His ears and His eyes and I was available for her. My heart was heavy as she explained that as long as she could remember, she had been overweight. But things really kicked in high gear over the past six months where she had gained a lot of weight. Depression had taken over her mind and she was so sick of being overweight that she ate and ate until she gained a lot more weight. She explained that she started thinking, “Why am I here? What do I have to live for?”
My heart melted as the tears welled up in my eyes. You see, underneath those 650 pounds of flesh, I saw a woman who was just like me...a woman who couldn't live her life without Jesus. With the righteousness of Christ, I saw what Jesus saw. She was completely empty and in need. At 650 pounds, she was starving because she continued to touch her lips with the bread that never lasts and hadn’t tasted the Bread of Life that lasts forever. I held her hand as she captivated me with her words. What happened next was so amazing and nothing short of a miracle from my Savior. With her soft voice, she said, “Inside me, I have no peace.” For the first time since meeting Nora, I didn’t feel helpless or afraid. I absolutely knew I had the answer for her.
That afternoon, instead of taking my half hour lunch to eat, I took it to feed this woman the Bread that lasts. With Jesus, we will never hunger or thirst again. Right there on her hospital bed, she invited Christ into her life and became a new woman. The Lord restored her to Himself in such a beautiful way. Jesus said He will not judge by what He sees with his eyes, or decide what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness He judges the needy. (Isaiah 11:3-4) I thank the Savior of my life for giving me His eyes and His ears, and His righteousness. Without His Word, His eyes, His ears, and His Spirit alive in me, I would have seen this woman like the world saw her…an unworthy glutton. But I thank the Lord that through His eyes, I saw clearly.
**Names are changed to protect identity
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