Evelyn's example

I’ve been writing in this blog about living out our faith in the context of our work and academics. Newbigin calls us to learn to do this from the starting point of God’s new creation in Christ which means we will view the world differently than from the viewpoint of the Enlightenment project. That was about objectivity, efficiency, calculations, technology, and cost benefit assessments that all too often has had the effect of marginalizing or oppressing actual people. As Christians, we know that pursuing those values alone can’t be the best way to operate.

Evelyn Lai, a May 2011 alumna from the Yale School of Nursing, gave the student commencement address to her class. In it, I think she models at least one dimension of what pursuing that profession from the perspective of God’s new creation is like. In so doing, she also sets an example that others of us can follow in our disciplines as well. In reflecting on her time at Yale she said:

“We’ve seen a number of infants and teenagers, moms and dads, grandparents and grandchildren, siblings and cousins…friends, best friends, partners. We’ve seen them cry in front of us out of fear and frustration, apprehension and anger,… and we’ve seen them cry with relief, delight, joy. We’ve smiled bravely, put a hand on their shoulder, plunged forward with our days. And gone back to our roommates and friends sniffling and crying over wine or tea.

Because more than assessments and plans, differentials and diagnoses, nursing is about relationships - is it not? It’s not only about health promotion and disease prevention, improvement of patient outcomes, and engagement in clinical research and policy-making. It’s not only about health disparities, hunger, homelessness, poverty. But about people. About communities. Families. Family members. Individuals. A person. You. Me.”*

I think Evelyn’s words apply to all manner of professions. We can and must use the best tools and resources available (using the best work of the Enlightenment project), but we also must go about our life and work in light of our conviction that every person we meet is an image-bearer of God whom we must honor and seek to serve as best we are able. The tools, theories and resources we have exist to serve people; people do not exist to serve them. It's a modern day parallel to Jesus' statement that "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27)

How might that impact the way grads teach the undergrads entrusted to them, the way lawyers serve their clients, the way managers run their departments, the way ministers relate to their congregations?

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” 2 Corinthians 5:16

*Thanks to Evelyn for permission to use this!