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Nurse Wisdom from the ICU at OHSU (5.1.19)

Posted: Wed, May 1, 2019
“I know this is so hard. Try not to get lost in wondering why all of this is happening. Why is a question that rarely arrives at a satisfying answer. Life isn’t fair. Life just is and sometimes it just sucks. The question to ask isn’t ‘why?’ but now that this is happening ‘how can [...]

Rev. Dr. Steven Koski

“I know this is so hard. Try not to get lost in wondering why all of this is happening. Why is a question that rarely arrives at a satisfying answer. Life isn’t fair. Life just is and sometimes it just sucks. The question to ask isn’t ‘why?’ but now that this is happening ‘how can I be part of the healing?’”
I do not believe everything happens for a reason. When a bad thing happens the last thing you want to hear is “everything happens for areason.” Emily McDowell creates Empathy Cards. One card says, “Please let me be the first to punch the next person who tells you everything happens for a reason…I’m sorry you’re going through this.” Giving someone this card let’s someone know you may not know what it feels like to be in their shoes, but you know when to be irritated in their behalf. I do not believe everything happens for a reason. I do believe a reason can be found in everything. But not immediately.
I do not believe things happen in life that we might learn some lesson. I do believe that if we are paying attention everything and everyone can be our teacher.
One aspect of Grace is that nothing is beyond redemption.
The creation story in Genesis is poetry. The poetry says in the beginning when God created heaven and earth there was first evening/night and THEN morning. This poetry suggests that woven into the fabric of existence is the mystery that beyond what may seem like the endless darkness of night there will always be a morning. Beyond darkness there is light. Faith is sitting in the darkness listening for the songs of the birds trusting dawn will come. Grace is knowing that what may seem like the worst will never be the last word spoken.
Don’t ask why. Life isn’t necessarily fair. Sometimes life just sucks. Now that this is happening in your life, what would it look like to respond in a way that affirms life and is part of the healing?
Rumi said, “Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.”
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