Taking Time to Care

” People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Theodore Roosevelt

You might’ve heard the above oft mentioned phrase. Teachers, parents, married couples, doctors, and frankly everyone, would greatly benefit from the deeper meaning of

” People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Putting it in plain English : How much you might know as a doctor, a financial analyst, a teacher , a priest or a pastor would only be of small and limited benefit to others if you don’t genuinely show that you care. And the one definite way that you and I can show someone that we care is by the giving of our most valued and precious God-given gift: the gift of Time.

More than our material gifts or money, including those yearly precious presents on Christmas Day, birthdays, or anniversaries, or even nice words and smiles, we humans crave and need devoted and undivided time and attention. This is because the giving of our most precious resource; time, assures others that we care and that they are loved. It’s only then that someone begins to listen to us, and care about what you and I know, and what we say.

In our busy schedules and daily quest to make a living and meet our God-given human needs, we find ourselves living life in a hurry, and giving less and less of our precious gift of time to others. We’re all pressed for time and in need of God’s wisdom of where, when, and with whom do we share this limited and scare commodity of time. 

With so many things and needs vowing for our attention, we’re all at a loss as to how to divide our time without feeling guilty about not spending enough time to play with our young ones, to listen to a distressed heart, to be there when a loved one needs us, or to pray with someone who desperately needs a prayer. We are in desperate need for wisdom to make sense of what to do with our limited resource of time.

In our pursuit of such wisdom, and as we begin to gradually gain it, we find that there are many time wasting life endeavors, experiences and activities that we pursued before, or are pursuing now. I’m talking about those without any redeeming value, are not helpful, and of no long term benefit or eternal value to ourselves or to others. You and I can count many such waste- of- time life experiences that just wasted away our limited God-given allotment of time and energy.

But, here are some examples of time well spent, and moments in life that are worthwhile: Spending time and being available to others to listen, to laugh, to pray, and time to help someone in need. Giving of our energy and time to our creator God’s higher call of love, obedience, reverence, and showing kindness and compassion to loved ones, family, friends, and strangers is never a waste.

We become healthier, and richer emotionally and spiritually when we give. These are not my words but a spiritual principal that has been said thousands of years ago.

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in, this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus. how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”

Acts 20:35 (ESV)

But finding time to
demonstrate the kind, caring and compassionate acts of love
is getting harder and harder in our individual lives and in the arena of medical care.

Time is money is what we our modernized culture tell us. The bulk of our limited earthly life span/time is not only spent making money and trying to expand on what we already have, but is also hurriedly spent trying to gain and acquire more things. More control, power, pleasures, possessions, satisfaction, and more relationships that never seem to fulfill and satisfy our inner thirst. Our inner hurts, loneliness, worries, fears, shame and guilt can’t be healed “in a hurry”, nor can our healers; physicians, pastors, medical providers, or the health system heal us with a rushed and hurried up attitudes.

For just like a wound needs time to heal, you, and I, every patient, soldier and veteran’s soul, mind, and spirit will need time to heal. Healing of our inner brokenness need time. Our health system with all its medical providers and top notch facilities, and capabilities will not offer long term benefit without the old fashioned gold standard of excellent medical care of spending ample time with each patient.

There is no lasting healing that can be accomplished without the art of unhurried listening, not only to a patient’s words but even more importantly to his and her cries of the heart, and their souls’ deep rooted anguish, sadness, depression, and fears.

Taking time to listen and time to educate, and to offer nonjudgmental preventive teaching and instructions convey kindness, grace, mercy, and compassion: Love displayed in words and action.

But given the emphasis of America’s health system to make, save, and be a profitable model, all while adding more and more lives to be cared for, how can ample time be spent with each patient without the medical industry’s drop in profitability?

And without time to listen, educate, and instruct, how can the great healing foundation of love; mercy, grace, kindness and compassion be passed on to soldiers, veterans, and our nation’s patients’?

If the price paid for lavish profits, inflated salaries, and wasteful buildings, advertisements, management structure, and programs in America’s various health systems is the reduction of medical staff and providers thus overworking those remaining to exhaustion, would that be fair?

If the price paid  for the above financial gains means having less and less time allowed between medical providers and patients to listen without a hurry, and to support and educate would that be a just one?

Advice and recommendations offered here are not meant to replace your medical provider’s individual evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. Please see your medical provider for any physical or emotional concerns.

Views expressed here are only of the author, and do not represent the views of  any other organization or entity.

 

Adel G. Hanna, M.D,

Author: Soldier To Soldier Heart to Heart

A Doctor’s Stories from a Military Camp

Blog: www.adelhanna.com

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