Do You Have To... Or Want To?

As I previously indicated, I spent a lot of time at the hospital last week with my dad. I visit hospitals all the time. Part of my job is offering pastoral care to members of my faith community who find themselves in ill health or who are undergoing some type of surgical procedure. Hospitals are not fun places. Folks who find themselves there rarely ever want to remain there for very long. Visiting others in the hospital is also difficult for some people. Maybe it is the sight of blood or the smells that sometimes emanate from the rooms, whatever the case, most normal folks don't like hospitals.

Sometimes I wonder what it is like for the doctors and nurses. Are they just wired differently? I know that God gifts people differently to accomplish what needs to be accomplished in His kingdom and maybe that is the answer. For some, it is the allure of a higher pay scale. For others, it is a genuine desire to help other people. For some it is a job, a paycheck, and, yet, for others it is a calling.

One thing I noticed in the hours I spent with dad was the fact that some of the nurses did their jobs in such a way because that was the next thing on their list. It was obvious when they came in the room, Mr. Brooks was next on the list to receive (fill in the blank). They would come in, do what they needed to do, and were gone. If you asked anything else of them, it threw them off their game. "So and So will be in later to take care of that for you," was often the reply.

Then there was the rare instance when a nurse or doctor would come in because Mr. Brooks needed their assistance and expertise in his time of need. You could tell by their approach, they were there because they wanted to be.

There are many correlations between this example and the faith life. How do you approach Church? Do you go because that is what you do on Sunday (or Saturday night for you progressives)? Do you go because you have always gone and it seems like the right thing to do? Or do you go because you want to offer your gifts, praise, worship, glory and honor to God?

How do you approach a ministry or missions opportunity? How do you approach your stewardship or giving of time and money back to God? The scripture is very clear. Jesus Christ fulfilled the law, all of it. The things we give back to God- our stuff, our time, ourselves- we give purely and simply because we want to. It is our response in light of all we have received and are promised to receive.

Now I have to go because I have to eat... or do I want to eat?