I found the Clinic almost empty except for one person whose work was equivalent to being a medical secretary. I had just walked in and was prepared to tackle another night of work.
“Where’s everyone?” I asked that coworker.
“They had a Code Blue [a code meaning the nurses are trying to revive an unconscious person] few minutes earlier before you walked in,” he replied.
“Was it Mr. O?” I wondered.
“Who’s Mr. O?”
“Remember? He would always play around with staff, claiming that he swallowed razor blades? He was unpredictable. We would send him to the hospital and x-rays would show no razor. Other times, he did swallow one. He was in and out of the jail’s Suicide Watch.”
“Yeah, yeah! I remember him now.”
The sheepish smile was widely painted on this young man’s face. The look on his eyes always beamed with pride that he would always have things his way, no matter what. Nurses couldn’t do anything, he knew. That even if his claim that he swallowed razor blades were false, the nurses had no choice but to send him out to the hospital. He seemed to have enjoyed those frequent trips. But most of all, he enjoyed getting things done his way!
His psychiatric medications were constantly changed, adjusted to his level of moods and behaviors. But every time, Mr. O always claimed he did something to try to hurt himself. The medications seemed to not have reached its full potential to help his mental state.
That night was not a unique one. It was another typical night of him playing around with his own life. He reassured the deputy from that unit that he wouldn’t do such a foolish thing. But it was the duty of deputies to check often cell per cell, every hour.
The body was motionless. [Pardon me friends, I wouldn’t write the manner of how he did it]. The deputy frantically called over the radio for a “Code Blue”. The Clinic was only across from that unit’s hallway. But their effort that was going on for a few minutes, almost an hour before I entered my workplace, remained futile.
He finally had it his way. And it resulted to a devastating loss. He was a young man, whose life was ruined by the use of drugs. His mental capabilities deteriorated over time.
God only knew if he meant to just play around, like the usual. But this time, he couldn’t get out of his own scheme.
How many of us are the same? Wanting to do everything with our own strength and effort - having things done our way, not God’s way? Doing so, most of the time, leads to a DISASTER! Stop now while you can!
Proverbs 3:5,6 -"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths."
30 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING - 22
8 hours ago
What a disaster we make of things when we try to go our own way. Like Mr. O we can not get out of the horrible consequences that often follow our choices.
ReplyDeleteWith GOD, we have a clearer path. Thank you for shining brightly on your path to fulfilling GOD's plan for your life.
Blessings, prayers, and love, andrea
That awful devil that comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly. Liked the song a lot!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Mary
Rcubes, what a powerful story. God is the ultimate, even if it is hard for us sometimes to accept this! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI stand in agreement with what Mary said above.
ReplyDeleteI'm saddened for the decisions that young man made and the ultimate price. I pray MANY will be led to your blog who need to read this and STOP and HEAR GOD.
Blessings dear sister.
I pray God will continue to use you to help others, love you my friend.
ReplyDelete"Pseudo faith always arranges a way out to serve in case God fails it. Real faith knows only one way and gladly allows itself to be stripped of any second way or makeshift substitutes. For true faith, it is either God or total collapse. And not since Adam first stood up on the earth has God failed a single man or woman who trusted him."
ReplyDeleteA. W. Tozer, "True Faith Brings Committal," In The Root of the Righteous, pages 49-50.
Rosel,
ReplyDeleteI feel your heart in this post! Even though Mr. O made many attempts and lived his life on his terms I feel the sadness and I am sorry! God shines brightly in you to all you are in contact with....at work, here on your blog and I have no doubt even those whom you may visit in a store...You just shine for HIM always! I pray comfort to all those who had to witness this and ask the Lord as you work tonight that the atmosphere will be filled and covered by the Holy Spirit!
Love you Rosel!
Aww! I really get mad hearing and seeing people like that. But more often, too, they end up in tragedy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this story to us, Rcubes. :)
That is so sad that he didn't value the life and time of grace here on earth that God gave him to come to know His Heavenly Father. What a waste! It grieves me so to see this happen. What would cause a person to hate his life so much that he would throw it all away - no matter what situation he found himself in. I know he was in prison - but how sad to not LEARN from his mistake!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine the pain that our Lord feels to have a beloved child of His throw it all away for all eternity in this way. To waste his chance to get to know the One who gave him life! ~sigh~
I have said it more than once my friend - but it must be so hard for you to keep your spirits up having to deal with this kind of grief for your fellow man on a daily basis. What a burden you must feel! I haven't known you very long - but I want you to know that if you ever feel the need to vent or to have someone to pray with you - or FOR you - to help uplift you from the sorrow that surely this job of yours must cause occasionally, PLEASE call on me! If you want to send me a personal email that is fine too. I will pray with and for you and be a shoulder for you as well. We must lift wach other up through our difficulties - to help refresh and renew our spirits for the hard work that the Lord has given us to do.
I think you are wonderful and I applaud the great job you are doing as you work for our blessed Lord Jesus!
((Hugs))
Kymber
I do not feel "mad" hearing about people like this young man. First of all...if he is swallowing razors....he certainly had problems. My guess is that he came from an abusive background and was never loved. Being in prison.....I would think he did not have the benefit of the best pshycological treatment etc.
ReplyDeleteAfter saying that...I believe in a sovereign God and if He would have wanted to save this young man....He would have. And one further thought.....only by His grace....this young man could have been me!
Bro.Ike: It could have been "any" of us. Unfortunately, this man was very unpredictable. That was just his kind of game and I felt that it was his thrill to feel that he was in control all the time. I wasn't surprised that night, he was the first man to come to mind and I was right! Because I felt that from the very beginning when I first treated him, that whether he would do something on purpose or not, something bad would come out of his behavior. I believed that then...it would only be God who could help him. There are so many like him. A lot stemming from drug use that their mental capabilities are very distorted.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your visits.
Kymber: I thank you for the sweet offer. I'm not boasting about anything but "God's grace" that because of Him, I am in no way affected by what goes on. Not that I'm insensitive but I know that He placed me there, to be helpful using my nursing skills and through that, prayerfully, for the inmates to see that there is hope...that hope that comes from our Savior Jesus Christ. Sometimes, we don't need to speak and they can read our testimonies through our own behaviors/actions/attitudes.
ReplyDeleteYou came to mind yesterday when I was going to work. I want to return the offer instead...that if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask me. :)
Thank you all and God bless.