Beauty In The Eye Of The Beer Holder

True scenes from Female Intake [female side of the jail where they receive female arrestees from the streets, as told by the Intake nurse that night] on the eve of Halloween:

One drunk female was brought in, screaming and melted mascara from her tears, smeared her face.

Drunk Woman: “What kind of nurse are you? Can’t you see?! I can’t breathe!”

Nurse: “Ma’am, I’m sorry. But if you can yell at me at the top of your lungs like this, then, I know that you are breathing fine.”

Drunk Woman: “Well….long pause…my doctor said that I can talk but it doesn’t mean that I’m breathing fine.”

After signing her medical questionnaire and ticket, she was placed in one cell. Once sober, she would be released in a few hours.

An hour later, an older, drunk, heavy set woman was brought in. Her hair was sticking up in different directions. Nice jewelries visible as the precious stones shone from her fingers. Cooperative at first, but when the Intake Nurse and the arresting cops wanted her to sign the needed documents, she became uncooperative. Turning her face into another direction, she stated:

“I’m not signing anything until my lawyer gets here.”

She started fighting, too with the female deputies. Being uncooperative, the deputies put her immediately to where the first woman was placed. You could just imagine some scenarios that could happen between a yelling woman placed along with a snobbish, older woman…Both potential for being combative.

Few minutes passed and the nurse and the deputies were wondering why it got quieter in that cell. Checking up on the women to make sure they were both okay, they saw the yeller [who was complaining of difficulty breathing] sleeping on the cold, cement floor…When all of a sudden, the older, heavy-set woman [the one who didn’t want to sign her ticket and medical history] straddled herself on top of the sleeping woman and acted like she was going to suffocate her.

The other woman woke up and started screaming again while turning red on her face, “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!”

Intake Nurse: “Now, I believe you.” As she was saying that, the female deputies rushed to rescue her from the other woman.

All these craziness resulted from their foolish actions being intoxicated. They were both not even fully aware of what they were saying and doing. Everyone from work could not imagine what they would think and feel once they would be more sober.

It was amusing to watch all that drama unfolded. But the consequences of their actions were not fun at all. They would both realize that, once the alcohol was out of their system.

Some warnings from the Bible about drinking alcohol:

Genesis 9:20-26 - Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble.

Genesis 19:30-38 - Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to
immorality.

Leviticus 10:9-11 - God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy.

Deuteronomy 32:33 - Intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.

Proverbs 4:17 - Alcoholic drink is called the wine of violence.

Proverbs 20:1 - Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.

Proverbs 23:19-20 - A wise person will not be among the drinkers of alcoholic beverages.

Spiritual Sundays - Dead Without Deeds

Sunday again? Wow! Time goes really, really fast! But this is the best time of the week, when we look forward to this gathering at this special place called Spiritual Sundays. Thank you sisters Charlotte and Ginger for always inspiring us and hosting this great site! For other encouraging posts, or even to join in, please visit Spiritual Sundays. God bless.


“Did you go to a mandown while I was eating?” asked a co-worker when she came back from her break.

“Yes. But Nurse Inglish [not real name], thank God, waited and ended up going to where I was to help me out,” I replied.

“I’m so sorry. I could have helped you…only if I was listening to the radio traffic,” she uttered.

“You mean, you’re not listening? That’s okay if you can’t help me out. But it’s very important that you should be listening to the radio traffic all the time. You just never know if there’s an emergency or maybe a call for our safety,” I stated.

Nurse Inglish who helped me, didn’t need to do that as she was assigned to another unit of the prison. She heard that there was someone having a seizure in one unit and saw me rushing out toward the hallway, with the emergency bag hanging from my shoulder, my own stethoscope, dangling around my neck. My small radio sticking out from my left pocket.

“I’ll stand by. Call me, Rcubes if you need help, okay?” she hollered.

“Okay, thanks,” I hurriedly replied.

The man was unresponsive for a good 10 minutes. Obviously, he bit his tongue as dried blood was noticeable on his upper and lower lips. He was dazed, with a deep kind of snore. My priority was to preserve his airway at that time. But I had asked the deputy to call for an ambulance immediately anyway as he was not responding.


I didn’t call Nurse Inglish for assistance. She heard the radio call herself, and dashed immediately toward that unit. She came and helped me by trying to start the IV as I went to the computer to check the man’s medical records and initiated the paper work that would be sent out to ER.

It was the nurse on the break that was supposed to be helping me. Because we were both working in the Infirmary that night. But she wasn’t listening to the radio calls. How could she help me if she wasn’t listening in the first place?
　
Words without actions are dead. God clearly explained it through James. From James 2:14-26, NIV:

“14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.


25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

Why Me?

I was there in that dark and lonely, small room, contemplating to end my life. The year was sometime in 1990. Being away from my family for 4 years at that time, with nowhere to go to, trapped in a nightmare that I never expected, my tears were flowing endlessly. I was pleading for some divine intervention, that at that time, I wasn’t sure if there was. Until He made it known that He was true. That He heard me. As I wept and told Him my problems, I asked for forgiveness and wanted Him to direct my life.

Weeks later, He gave me a way out with the ordeal I was facing.

I didn’t want to tell my loving parents back home, because I didn’t want them to worry about me. Nor did I want for their relationship with my uncle soured. My uncle [my mother’s first cousin] helped me to come here through adoption. He said only to help me out so I could take Nursing here. The kindness he showed when he was in our country was not the same when I got here. He loved me more than his own children. But along with that, came a character that was difficult for me to understand. He didn’t want to let me go. He didn’t want me to open bank accounts. He didn’t want me to open any credit accounts.

I was confused. Yet, he wanted me to call him “dad” and my aunt “mom”. I was grateful for the treatment he gave me as if I was his own kid. I worked so hard. I woke up early to help clean the house. I studied hard. I worked part time so I didn’t need to ask for money as much as possible. My own biological father and some of my own siblings were sending me financial support at times. But he was upset about that.

I found solace when I was at work, the opposite, when I should be tired and should long to be home, resting on bed. But I would rather stay at work. Every time I would be near his house as I went home, it felt like my heart was being pricked with so many, many thorns.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted my own place. I wanted out. And it was that night that I surrendered to Someone I had ignored for so long…

Tonight, as I was praising the Lord with the songs He put into my heart, I saw this song I had composed back in September 20, 2005. At that time, looking back at what transpired after that night, I now know, that the Lord did give me a way out! He took me out of that trap and “freed” me…I didn’t deserve that. But that is His nature: unconditional love, endless forgiveness. Here is the song I wanted to share with you. To God be the glory!

Why Me?

I bent my knees at the stillness of the night
Cried out my heart with tears from my eyes
I’m all alone in Your presence
I felt the warmth of Your love

Chorus:

[spoken: I had to ask/A sinner like me]…Why me, Lord, why me?
I turned my back on You but You still accepted me
Why me, Lord, why me?
Your love and grace came pouring down…..on me…

And right there I died but I’d be proud to say
Christ….now lives in me
I’m never alone for You’re always in my heart
Your faithful love carries me…

[Repeat Chorus]

Why me?

Discernment

I just walked into the Clinic to start my shift, when one of the LVN’s approached me and asked me if she could confide with me and ask for my opinion at the same time.

“Rcubes, I was passing evening meds in this particular unit. I called for an inmate’s name. This man came and opened his hand and he took the pills really fast as I asked him to show his ID. He already swallowed it when I realized it wasn’t the inmate that I wanted.”

“What meds did you give?” I asked.

She told me it was for seizure. I told her it shouldn’t hurt him not unless, he would be allergic to those meds. But she should take his vital signs and record what happened anyway in the nurse’s notes. In case that man later on, decided to say something against her, her notes would back her up. He shouldn’t have taken the meds anyway because she was calling another inmate’s name.

“I got upset with him. I told him, why did you show up when you knew it was not your name?” she added.

“It’s too late now,” I replied. “They are that way. You can’t trust them to do the right thing because they always want something from you.”

“I know you have good intentions. And in your busyness when you’re passing thousands of meds to these inmates, sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of what you need to do. You’re trying to do a good job and I know you are a great nurse. But there comes a time that only one inmate will be your downfall because of their crazy ways.”

Fortunately, the inmate turned out to be okay and was in no harm. Yet, the LVN, feeling comfortable with what I told her, still put him up for the doctor to be checked out to make sure that he would be completely okay.

Her only fault…she failed to check the inmate’s ID before even giving the pills.

“Be careful…be very careful next time even if something goes chaotic. Focus on what you need to check before you give out these meds. Like what I said, I know you. You‘ve been a great nurse here and focus on keeping that good job. Learn from that mistake,” I advised.


Discernment….The dictionary says it means “keenness of insight and judgment.” In our spiritual life, we also need spiritual discernment. It is calling on the Holy Spirit to lead or give direction about a matter. It’s more than a learned skill. Spiritual discernment is a gift from God. Yet, we use our skills or gifts in which the Spirit can work through to help us discern rightly.

We can be knowledgeable with the Scriptures, but some of us are not willing to be taught by the Spirit. In doing so, we are not learning discernment. We are not seeking the truth. What good is that knowledge if we are not willing to surrender to the leading of the Spirit? How can we discern evil from good, if we rely on our own judgment?

It’s only by His grace that we are able to do that.

Like in the jail, we all follow protocols in many skills that we have to do. Same thing when it comes to discerning God’s will. It’s not only for me. It includes you, all of you, the church.

“Lord, I’m sorry for my sins. I’m sorry for not trusting in You sometimes and I just feel so good that I can do everything on my own. Well, that’s not true. We are nothing without You. Help us Lord in everything that we do. That in everything we do, think or say will glorify none but You. Please give us spiritual discernment, Oh Lord. To know the evil things and not be a part of them. Thank You Lord. In Jesus’ Name. Amen”

"God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede." - Oswald Chambers

"Discerning and acting on God's will does not mean you'll never have difficult days or feel lousy sometimes. But choosing to live in alignment with God makes you more joyful, compassionate, and peaceful, even on bad days." - Debra K. Farrington

More of Jesus let me learn
More of His holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my teacher be
Showing the things of Christ to me.
------ ('More About Jesus', EE Hewitt, 1915)