7 minute read
Sue Bishop
ATMOSPHERE CHANGERS
Bringing hope, encouragement and truth to the workplace.
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I NEVER IMAGINED MYSELF BEING A NURSE. The only reason I went to nursing school was because I had no clue what else to do after graduation. I had enjoyed high school biology and my friend Gail enrolled into nursing a year ahead of me, so, I followed her. I was seventeen years old. Heaven knew it was the right fit for me and I am grateful for over three decades of experience working in various areas - urology, plastic surgery, ICU, CCU, cardiology, emergency, research, patient and staff education, recovery room and, for the last eleven years, oncology. I love nursing! I have some incredible stories of life, death, endurance, hope, sadness, laughter, personal growth, and extremely interesting cases that might intrigue you or turn your stomach. Just ask my kids.
I am passionate about bringing truth and love into areas of influence, whether it is to my neighbours, local grocery stores, or my workplace. One of the privileges I have had over the years, is to learn to be an atmosphere changer and an ambassador of hope and encouragement - not only to my patients and their families, but especially to my co-workers.
By being intentional, maintaining an excellent work ethic, respecting all (even those with differing world views and beliefs) and being authentically me, countless opportunities have arisen to influence the atmosphere and to share the love of Jesus. I have lots to say about this subject, however I will focus on 7 practical ways I have personally been able to encourage and inject truth into my workplace:
1. Laughter: “A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul. But the one whose heart is crushed struggles with sickness and depression.” Proverbs 17:22 [TPT]. “Your laughter is contagious,” is what I’ve been told by co-workers. For those that know me, I do like to laugh, especially at myself. Working with cancer patients does not mean we are always sad. In fact, it is a place of hope and there is lots of room for smiles and laughter. I believe laughter is self-explanatory to changing the atmosphere.
2. Injection of scripture and the prophetic (God’s encouraging words) into natural conversation: “Sharing words of wisdom is satisfying to your inner being. It encourages you to know that you’ve changed someone else’s life. Your words are so powerful that they will kill or give life” Proverbs 18:20-21 [TPT]
One of my colleagues recently stated she had a dark cloud following her and that she expected bad things to happen. What an opportunity for me to say, “Your words have power...speak life into your day, and don’t say that your patients are all going to have serious reactions, because they will.” She agreed and we ended that workday with no serious adverse events.
There have been numerous times where I have been able to declare scripture into the atmosphere without my patients or colleagues knowing I was speaking the Word. How fun! However, one needs to know scripture in order to do this. It is easier than you think to declare God’s goodness and blessings over people and to give prophetic words naturally (without having to say, “This is a prophetic word”) .
3. Strategic timing in giving scriptures, words of encouragement, songs and Bibles to coworkers: “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken at the right time.” Proverbs 25:11 – [AMP]. Holy Spirit often prompts me to share a particular scripture, song, word, or Bible verse with a specific individual at a specific time. It has taken great courage to do so, but oh, the joy I’ve experienced over and over again when I’ve been told, “Thank you, this is exactly what I needed.... it was perfect timing.” Please know that most of these dear people have a very different faith or belief system than I do.
4. Intentionally meeting co-workers outside work and supporting them in their passions. Giving time to co-workers outside work gives them a sense of worth and allows deeper God conversations to occur. I’ve had so much fun kayaking, going for walks, drinking bubble tea and supporting their side business ventures (i.e. exercise courses) . Yes, it has required a sacrifice of time and sometimes money. Was it worth it? Every time!
5. Reaching out to the coworker who is ‘difficult’. “Words of wisdom are like a fresh, flowing brook— like deep waters that spring forth from within, bubbling up inside the one with understanding.” Proverbs 18:4 [TPT].
Story of Allison: When I first met Allison, I was fairly intimidated by her crass comments. I dreaded working with her but over time, my heart became stirred when I found out that she had no family in Canada. So, with great courage I invited her to Christmas dinner, and she accepted. Over the years this became a tradition even though we had gone onto different workplaces. I knew something was very wrong when she told me that she had lost her job as a nurse (that is something that does not happen easily in Canada) . One day I felt prompted to call....no answer, so I went to her house and broke in. At the door, I met her very large German Shepherd for the first time.... he let me in. I found her emaciated with a dangerous low body weight and consumed with alcohol. By God’s grace, I managed to get her to hospital and a detox Center. Allison recovered from severe alcoholism and eventually became a follower of Jesus. Her story did not end there. Allison went on to develop severe MS. After several years, God told Allison to move back to the UK to reconcile with her family and she did. Shortly after, Allison died suddenly of a heart ailment, but not before she told them about Jesus’ love. I learned an invaluable lesson: Never underestimate the power of obeying Holy Spirit, especially with difficult co-workers.
6. Prayer: “Pray for all men with all forms of prayers and requests as you intercede with intense passion.” 1 Timothy 2:1 [TPT]. In all my career I’ve had only one patient say “no” to prayer. I’ve never had a co-worker say “no” to prayer. This is huge! My friends, most people are open to prayer and it is not dependent on their belief system. We were created to have relationship with God, and it is an innate desire to have connection - even if it initially means someone else is connecting to God on their behalf.
7. Personal testimonies of God’s miracles and goodness. See Revelations 12:11. During this COVID season, my elderly father and myself ended up in ER with potentially serious and life-threatening situations. My 88-year-old dad fell off a step ladder and sustained a small brain bleed which lead to a critically low sodium level. I prayed for two things: He would have the smartest and most compassionate nurses, and that he would not pass away during COVID isolation. As I was not allowed to visit, I often called the hospital to get updates. During his most crucial time, my co-worker (who also works in the ER) answered the phone. She was assigned to my father and is that super smart and compassionate nurse I’d prayed for. My heart sang! I told her that God had answered my prayer! Within a week, my dad was completely mobile and back in his garden. A few weeks later, I ended up inadvertently and unknowingly eating a 2.5 cm piece of glass while at work. I had no idea until 4 days later when I developed sudden razor-sharp pain in my lower GI tract. A scope procedure recovered the piece of glass, which we found out later came from a cracked rim of a food container I had taken to work. I had no perforations, no bleeding, no adverse outcomes, except a little embarrassment for not chewing my food better. These miracles and other testimonies have given me so many opportunities to give glory to God and talk about His goodness.
All of us have the ability and opportunity to bring hope, encouragement and truth to the atmosphere around us... no matter where we are. My advice in a nutshell: “Just do it”. We may never really know the results of our words or actions but do it anyway. This is where we trust Holy Spirit and Father’s love for our co-workers, neighbours, family and the plans He has for them. It is not really about us; it is about allowing Him to love and work through us.
“So, we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.” Romans 8:28 [TPT].
— Married to Graydon Bishop, Sue is an Oncology Nurse and Lead Pastors alongside her husband at The Local Church Edmonton, Canada.
