I'm deeply blessed to have the opportunity to minister to a lot of different people from many varied backgrounds; some spiritual and some not. Because of the major changes in our society, more and more, the local minister is facing that too. Possibly some of what follows can be of help.
Unless we look at the morning "Census Report" of patients in our hospital, when we Chaplain's enter someone's room, we have no idea where they are spiritually. In a diverse culture like the U.S. today, no longer can we assume that people know what we are talking about when it comes to faith, religion, church, etc.
Even if upon entry to the hospital, the patient has listed "Baptist, Methodist, Catholic or Pentecostal" as their religious affiliation, that does not really tell where they are spiritually. There are multiplied levels of spiritual understanding in all of those.
It is a major help to try and find out where people are spiritually before ministering to them. If for example, a teacher has a Master's Degree in Pre-School Education, they do not start communicating at their own level with children in Kindergarten. They begin where the child is in their understanding. If not, the child will learn almost nothing because it is all over their head. They will not understand what is being said.
There is a question I ask almost every patient when visiting their room. Because of the whirlwind of activities going on in the ER, I can't always ask this question, but once the patient has been assigned to a room, it is seldom ever that I don't get around to it. This ONE QUESTION is like a laser beam. Their answer almost always brings me close to learning where they are spiritually.
I usually open a conversation with a patient by finding out why they have come to the hospital. "What brings you in?" Invariably, they will share the malady or tragic situation that caused them to come to the hospital. Even if I know prior to going into their room what their medical situation is, I will ask them to share with me what brought them in.
That automatically opens a dialogue between us about them. It gets them talking about them and their situation. After hearing their answer, I usually ask the LASER BEAM question. It is a simple, non-offensive question that gently moves the conversation toward faith.
"Where do you draw strength from in times like this?"
Here are some of the answers patients have given: "From God, my family, my kids, Jesus, our church, myself, my work, our club, prayer, personal devotions, our team, my own spirituality, Allah, meditation," etc.
One man replied, "From my Golden Retriever," and several have said from "my cats."
Since we ministers are sincerely interested in the person, once they have shared where they draw strength from, there is a three-word directive that helps me learn even more about them.
"So, tell me..."
what that word God means to you...
what Jesus means to you...
what your work means to you...
what your team means to you...
When the patient said he drew strength from his Golden Retriever, the statement, "So, tell me about your dog," opened up a large window of understanding about his life. He lived alone, was estranged from his family, felt there was little hope in life for him, but his dog was always there and was always accepting of him.
Listening to him about his dog, helped him feel comfortable with a Chaplain whom he would possibly have completely resisted at first, had the conversation began about faith, spirituality or religion.
When you have an opportunity to be with someone who is facing health situations and other obstacles in life, ask them, "Where do you draw strength from in times like this?"
Their answer may be surprising.
Doyle
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Acts-celerate Owner
Posts: 6957
11/20/15 3:33 pm
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The spiritual ID question that works like a LASER BEAM with almost everybody
