“I told the deputy when I got here that I needed to see the nurse because I was pregnant. But she didn’t let me,” spoke a young inmate with an upset tone.
She was complaining of spasms on her lower abdomen. I told the unit to send her down to Infirmary so I could test her for pregnancy and determine what was wrong.
“Usually, inmates complaining of lower abdominal pain don’t drink lots of water. So, I’m going to ask you, how much water do you drink?”
“Honestly, since I got here….None!”
“If you’re able to give me a little sample of your urine, I’ll test it for pregnancy and even a simple urinalysis because maybe you’re coming down with UTI [Urinary Tract Infection].”
Only a few drops were visible with the small cup she handed back to me. It was very dark, obviously concentrated urine. Just enough. For pregnancy tests. Being careful not to waste even a drop, I slowly put some on the test strips. Few seconds later, both lines, one red and one blue became visible meaning it was positive for pregnancy.
After taking her vital signs and asking her more about pregnancy history, I set her up to see the doctor that morning. I started her prenatal vitamins and other things she was supposed to have to make sure that she had a follow up care. She was so thankful that I had seen her and did not turn down her request, as it was not really an emergency.
“Drink! Lots and lots of water….Maybe that’s all you need…Water…I‘ll have you be seen by our doctor in just a few hours when he gets here. Okay?”
Smilingly, she replied, “Yes, Ma’am. I will. Thank you.”
When I went back to work that night, I reviewed her chart to see what was done by the doctor. During that sick call, she denied the abdominal pain and actually had told the doctor that she started feeling better after I saw her. There was no further order as I already had initiated all the things that she needed, being pregnant. I felt relieved for her that it turned out to be okay.
Have you encountered those who need help, in distress, because they are pregnant with the sins they bear? For many months, for many years, or all throughout their lives? Have you done enough to let them know that sometimes, all they need is to drink the “Living Water” in order for them to feel better? Have you ignored their pleas for them to see the “Doctor”?
Don’t be afraid to share the Good News. Don’t let that opportunity go if the Lord has brought someone needing salvation to you. Don’t be afraid to share that faith based on truth!
How do you share our faith with those who are very spiritually sick? This is from “Sharing your faith made easy [by Mark Walter]:
From 1 Peter 3:15:
~”Always…” - always means always or at all times. There is no day or time of day when we are off duty as Christians.
~”…be prepared” - means make preparations to help you to share your faith. Reading through a book like this is one way to do this. Become truly familiar with the Bible.
~ “…to give an answer” - means that there are answers to give. You may not know all the answers now. You may never know all the answers. But this does not stop you from finding out some answers when you get stuck. Make use of more experienced Christians. See if one of them can help you.
~ “…to everyone” - means everyone [no omissions, no exceptions]. You can’t be too choosy who you witness to. God may give you many different kinds of people that you should witness to.
~ “…give the reason” - means that the Christian faith is not anti-reason. Oh yes, it is faith, but we have all been given the minds by God. God commands us to love Him with our minds. It brings no credit to Jesus if we give the impression that Christianity is irrational. If that was the case, it would mean that a human mind is superior to God’s mind.
~ “…for the hope you have” - means that we must share the hope and confidence that we have in Jesus as our Savior.
~ “…do this with gentleness and respect” - means that we treat people with a kindly, understanding spirit. We don’t turn people off by our attitude or misdemeanor.
So, keep cool! Remember that it’s possible to win that argument but still lose the battle. May God give us the boldness to share the Good News!
