Detached
I’ve caught myself in a hypothetical dilemma.
In most medical dramas, we have often seen how hospital staffs break the news of a failed surgery to the family members. They cannot afford to commit professional suicide by being too emotionally attached to the dead patient due to the frequency of deaths. Surgeons can literally go mad if he takes every failed surgery personally; he thinks that he has indirectly murdered the patient by failing to save their life. In this sense, I think this understandable and perfectly reasonable.
However, these are only but physical lives that are wrestled in between our temporal realm. Is it reasonable for church workers to detach their hearts from the people they are trying to save spiritually? People are the church’s main focus, but so is the hospital’s. Ain’t the spiritual death rate is comparable to that of the hospital?
Is this professionalism or reasoned apathy?
hmm…
that is a very interesting thought.
its difficult to say ay. Of course our hearts hurt when someone turns their back to God and leaves the church…. but at the same time we can’t dwell on it because only God can change the heart. As well as giving the situation totally up to God to work.
I dont think we have to be so much as detached because as Christians we desire to be like Christ to have our heartbeat in sync with his and God’s heart is for his people. So yea…
but very interesting my friend =D love your thought provoking posts!
isn’t professionalism just another big word for the phrase “reasoned apathy”? they seem to have the same meaning to me.
think the premise is entirely different..
the interaction between surgeons and patients are limited and strictly non-personal because the former deals with the physical healing of the latter..
on the other hand, we are dealing with the spiritual healing of the heart.. unlike the physical body, you cant force your way to cut a heart open.. it can only be opened with openness.. it can only be touched by another heart.. it can only forgive when it knows forgiveness..
so yes, to love is to be vulnerable
and we’re a bunch of bruised and battered people!
that’s why we cant go on loving with our own love
our hearts are way too small, too easily disappointed
the only way to go on is to learn how much he loves us.. and let his love expand our hearts.. or else, God forbids, we’re all doomed to apathy!!
not sure you remember me! but came across your blog! it’s REALLY awesome.. keep posting!
as a health professional… i’ve actually thought about this in those dramas and to a certain extent, experienced it… when i was at the hospital for a placement a month ago, the people i worked under seemed seriously detached! it really shattered my idealistic dreams of what working in the hospital would be like! sadly i’m not even sure they were detached to prevent emotional attachment.. it just felt like they didn’t care?! (i guess that’s what traumatised me the most) like when i actually stopped to talk to a patient, i got weird stares from the health professional!!! the depravity and apathy of the human heart… is apalling. i think i had to ask God to give me a greater compassion for THEM!
so like what someone said up there… our only hope is the love of God! all the more as Christians, not just as church workers… we kind of need to have that love… John 13:35 but we have an endless and unconditional supply! praise God!
Justin-
Yea… being detached just sound so unbiblical, but i cant seem to put my finger to the problem. Is apathy a sin in the first place?
Denise-
Haha, well, I’m not so concern about the equality of the words, but rather, is professionalism acceptable?
Shirls-
Haha, this post must have moved you enough to speak out regarding it, or else you would be another of those shadow visitors! I think the separation of premises helped made things clearer.
But I wonder, why is the apathy necessary in the case of physical healing, when spiritual healing is even more important, and spiritual death even more painful.
If spiritual healing (that is of higher difficulty) requires empathy, then shouldn’t physical healing (that is of lower difficulty) at least have empathy as well?
Caitlyn-
Hey, of course I remember you! Hope Brisbane, Judah caregroup right? I chatted with you during lunch time! I’m pleasantly surprised by your visit! Couldn’t find you to get your details to keep in touch!
What’s more interesting then to hear from an actual health care professional? Seems like Christian health care has to really differ from the secular health care. Keep having God’s compassion for them!
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
oh i didnt say physical healing doesnt require empathy.. it’s just more possible for them to do so without it.. even so, time survey suggests that empathetic doctors have a higher rate of giving correct diagnosis compared to their colleagues (prob due listening skills)
to sum up some points of difference:
- physical healing vs heart/life transformation
- limited/ad-hoc interaction vs lifelong/eternal community
- limited source of love vs endless Source of Love
*retreats back into the shadow…* =)
ppl who frequently “deal with” complex matters, ppl’s life or spiritual life in this instance, should acknowledge one common fact: we couldn’t turn things around without God’s hands. some say its passivism, i rather say its a surrendering approach.
Think that’s the price of love - it exacts a price from you. Frankly, it’s impossible to love and not get hurt - even God himself didn’t allow himself that privilege.
I guess when Jesus told us to love His sheep… to feed them… He said also that we’ll be taken to where we don’t want to go. It’s hard work - and even Paul himself wrote, “Who is not led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?”
I had a friend whom I brought to Christ. Some time later he fell away and became an atheist. It hurt a lot, and I felt discouraged for a few months. But think God encouraged me that ultimately it’s His work to save, not mine. We’re not called to save - only Jesus can - but we are called to point people towards Him.
And though seeing people fall away hurts, let’s never ever lose our love and zeal for Jesus because of that. It doesn’t make sense. And anyway, he heals the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.
Yeuann-
Hey, sorry for the late reply. I have been quite busy recently. (Although I can never be as busy as a working person like you. =D )
Thanks for sharing your very personal story. I like the way you phrase it; the price of the love is the price it exacts from you. It’s really a beautiful yet precise.
Keep blogging, as you are one of the faithful adults that continually update your blog! It really gives me a peek into the adult life!