God and Family In the Hospital

I love my ministry as a chaplain at the Falmouth Hospital. I look forward to visiting the patients and talking to them about whatever they want to talk about. I find the hospital a place of Hope. People are hoping to get better, hoping to get out of the hospital soon, and hoping they don’t have to come back anytime soon. It is very, very rewarding and I feel that I get so much more from the patient than I give to them.

There is a lot of time to think in the hospital. It may be the first time a person has thought about their own mortality. It can be quite insightful and humbling for them. There are two items that they almost always talk about and it is obvious that they are the most import things in their lives. The first is family and the second is their relationship with God.

There is no question that family is the most important thing on peoples’ minds while they are in the hospital. Even more important than their own health. Very often when I ask a patient if they would like a prayer, they will say “Could you say a prayer for my son or daughter. They are going through some difficult times.” There are other times that patients lament that they have not seen their brother or sister for a very long time and would like to reconcile with them. Or it might even be a son or daughter. But more often than not, it is obvious that the patient’s family is very close and important to them. I usually say a prayer that includes something about the family, especially if I see flowers or cards in the room. In effect I say, “Thank God for the blessings in our lives, especially family and friends, those people who we care about and love, may we always share that love with one another.” Invariably, I see their head nodding and smile come on their face. Often that prayer opens them up to telling me stories about how much their family means to them, all the support that they receive from them, and how much they love them.

The second item that people open up to is their relationship with God. Some of the patients are terminal and know they will be dying soon. Very often the patient is at peace with dying. They are acceptant of what is going to happen and they are looking forward to going to heaven, maybe to join a spouse or other member of the family who has preceded them. If  a spouse is still alive, they are more concerned about them and how they will do when they are gone. Again, the family is more important than anything that happens to them.

Sometimes the patient has not been to Church in a long time and their experience in the hospital has made them think about coming back to Church. Each time we visit a patient, we offer them a prayer if they would like. Just that fact alone makes them realize that people are praying for them. Often they say they have several of their family or friends praying for them also. It all points to the fact that we are all children of God and that the Church is a very important part of that relationship. Of course there are some who say they say their own prayers and have their own spirituality and don’t plan on attending Church There are even a very few who say they don’t want visits so we honor their request.

I ask that you pray for the patients in the hospital that God’s peace will be with them as they deal with their infirmities.

Deacon Greg Beckel