The Co-Working of the Divine and the Human
Reflective Journal: Ministry of Healing by ELLEN G. White
Chapter Seven: The Co-Working of the Divine and the Human
Throughout the nursing and clinical practice, health practitioners encounter so much diversity in different clients attributable to their differences in background and spirituality. Spirituality has become a significant part of nursing practice since it gives meaning and purpose to a patient’s life. The belief in a higher power may inspire optimism and enable an individual to seek resolution to what they may be passing through in life. Nurses recognize the role played by spirituality in patients’ healing process. However, nurses find it hard to establish the best way of dealing with spiritual needs of a patient. This essay reflects on the seventh chapter, The Co-Working of the Divine and the Human in the Ministry of Healing book authored by Ellen G. White and its implication on the nursing practice.
Ellen G. White asserts that a physician is a co-worker with Christ, the true head of the medical profession. Christ is the chief physician who relieves human suffering in the body and soul respectively. A physician role is limited to using nature’s remedy to aid in the relief of physical pain and suffering and aiding in the process of life preservation. Physicians do not heal any individual but help patients cooperating with God and natural laws. God is the ultimate healer and the creator of the natural healing agencies used to heal body and mind. According to White (2011), the greatest natural healing agent is the word of God since it sets an individual free from worries, guilt and faults. The chapter gives an expression that an effective healing ministry is that which involved the healing power of God. Ellen opines that illnesses and sins are entwined to a large extent. Therefore, obedience to God’s word brings healing while sin destroys physical and mental health. A physician should teach patients to have knowledge of the principles of God and of life, obey them and collaborate with God in the healing process. The Co-Working of the Divine and the Human
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A critical analysis of this chapter reveals a causal and effect relationship between sin and disease when all things are held constant. However, life is dynamic with many changes taking place each day. An individual may be residing in a place full of toxic waste without realizing the effects it can have on his health. Such an individual may be very obedient to laws of God but will suffer the effects of the toxic environment. In addition, it is usual to find morally upright people according to their religion suffering and impoverished while the immoral ones prosper. This implies that is not a proven fact that illness is absolutely caused by sin (Rasmussen, 2019). For a patient who has adhered to the moral conduct of his religion, reading this chapter may be discouraging and depressing since there is no explanation for his suffering. Many patients who are religious use their religious philosophies to make medical decisions and cope with illness. In the long run, a patient who read this chapter and gets discouraged may develop psychological issues and have poor health outcomes.
A person who goes through chapter seven without qualifying it may be prone to become a legalist. Ellen White has given a qualification by asserting that encouraging patients to obey alone without teaching them the gospel of grace will result in disappointment. The gospel is a critical healing principle that results in tranquility and composure (O’brien, 2017). Therefore, religion is meant to dominate a physician’s life and work and not as a value addition element. Patients will tend to be more comfortable being attended by a health practitioner who is a believer compared to one who is not. Patients may perceive that since a health professional is a believer, he is praying and God is guiding the process hence increasing their confidence. Faith and belief in God helps a healthcare professional to have courage to carry out the treatment procedures a patient may require. A patient who is a believer will often have family and friends who embrace spiritual care during treatment. Therefore, it is necessary for a physician to try and incorporate the spiritual needs of a patient in the treatment plan. The Co-Working of the Divine and the Human
Ellen White outlines cooperation with God as a fundamental principle in this seventh chapter. Ellen acknowledges that science has limitations and is not able to answer questions regarding life, health and disease. Therefore, she recommends that spirituality, religion, and science be studied concurrently. Religion asserts that God works through the laws of nature. However, the contemporary world is largely secular and may not adhere some of the principles in this chapter. In the light of science and religion, a physician will need to strike a balance between communicating the truth as it is and a patient’s needs/capacity (Mauk & Schmidt, 2004). A physician who seeks to do God’s work will strive to acquire the highest qualifications within their potential. In summary, focusing on a patient’s spirituality is necessary in the clinical and nursing practice. Health professionals should endeavor to incorporate a holistic approach in treatment plan that focuses on the entire being (body, mind and spirit).
References
Mauk, K. L., & Schmidt, N. K. (2004). Spiritual care in nursing practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott.
O’brien, M. E. (2017). Spirituality in nursing. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Rasmussen, T. (2019). A Tale of Two Books: The Relationship between John Harvey Kellogg’s Living Temple and Ellen G. White’s Ministry of Healing. Andrews University Seminary Student Journal, 3(1), 6.
White, E. G. (2011). The Ministry of healing. Guildford, UK: White Crow Books. The Co-Working of the Divine and the Human