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| Photo credit |
-CTStudd
“So, what am I gonna’ do now, huh?” asked a ticked-off male inmate, still groggy from being waken up at almost midnight.
“The deputy said that they are going to put me on discipline because I was upset and talked back to them when they woke me up and told me that you guys needed me for blood pressure check. My blood pressure is fine. C’mon!”
I just walked in to start my shift last Saturday night. Upon seeing the evening nurse got up from her seat to take vital signs on 2 male inmates, I volunteered to get the other one so she could go home on time.
“Why so late?” I queried.
“Well, our charge nurse wanted it done. Just following her order Rcubes,” she replied.
I tapped on the same nurse’s shoulder, as she heard the inmate’s complaint to me.
“Will you please tell the charge nurse about this?” I requested. She just smiled at me and proceeded to go inside the Infirmary where the charge nurse’s desk was.
The man has a long history of alcohol abuse. Without alcohol upon incarceration, he was prone to withdrawal symptoms that could be life threatening. He was being given medications to help combat the tremors but has the effect of making him sleepy.
I could reply with 2 different versions. Human way, I would have been upset because he was not being grateful to the care being given when he probably had a lot of sleepless nights outside the prison walls anyway, consuming alcohol until the wee hours of each morning.
But the Spirit reminded me. His ways higher than mine. His thoughts higher than mine.
“Sir, I could see where you’re coming from. I’m sorry that your sleep was interrupted. But we just wanted to make sure that you won’t have those dangerous symptoms. I am not sure if I can prevent this. Because when things get busy, whoever has the opportunity to take your vital signs will have to do it. But it must be done and the results be shown to our doctor. I would let my charge nurse know. If it’s possible to have it done before bedtime. I can’t promise. I can only try.”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am. I wasn’t upset with you. I understand you guys have to do this. But please. I would appreciate it if they can’t interrupt my sleep. I haven’t slept. Thank you.”
He got up with droopy shoulders, his orange uniform wrinkled in different places as if donned in a hurry.
I could feel for him. Despite the crimes they committed, inmates were given that right to have a straight sleep. That was a law. They must be allowed to have an uninterrupted sleep. So little sacrifice for me to try to let the charge nurse know. But it was worth a try.
How far can we go to make things better for others? How far can we make sacrifices to help someone in need? No one. Nobody. Can ever do what God has done. To save us sinners. He sacrificed His one and only Son. To save humanity.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face so that he will not hear.” - Isaiah 59:2
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8
“God made the one who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21
“For this is the way God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 The one who believes in Him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.” - John 3:16-18
