Nehemiah 3:8 - Upskilling
Sometimes I'm thinking more of our patients when I write these devotionals. Today, I have an inspirational verse just for my friends and coworkers at Sanford/Sheldon. Ready for this?
Nehemiah 3:8 (NASB95) — 8 Next to [Melatiah and Jadon], Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
Let me explain...
Healthcare workers in major cities have been running ragged lately, some contracting, some even dying from COVID-19.
Ironically, most of our local staff have had their work hours--and income--cut back. Elective surgeries are about to resume, but patients are staying home as much as possible, even from the hospital and clinics. Hospice nurses are limited in the visits they can make to nursing homes.
In the meantime, Sanford has offered "upskilling." In some cases, it's a lateral move. Sometimes it may seem like a downward rather than an upward move. Certainly not the jobs everyone originally signed up for. That's where today's verse comes in.
In the history of ancient Israel, their capital city of Jerusalem was destroyed and their population deported for several decades. They were finally allowed to go back to their homeland. And the first item of business was to repair the walls of the city. Otherwise, new enemies would overrun them.
However, they didn't have enough stone masons to do the job quickly. And so everyone pitched in to help. Goldsmiths, perfume-makers, priests, merchants--everyone was "upskilled" to be carpenters and masons. Did they all do it as perfectly as professional builders? Probably not. That's what today's "inspirational verse" is about.
Our job descriptions have shifted, our tasks have changed, because together we're building a wall We don't know how bad things will get in our part of Iowa. But a wall of protection is going up, regardless.
Maybe now the verse makes sense:
"Next to [Melatiah and Jadon], Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall."
Lord God, whatever job we're called to do, help us to work together to build a protective wall for our community and patients. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Nehemiah 3:8 (NASB95) — 8 Next to [Melatiah and Jadon], Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
Let me explain...
Healthcare workers in major cities have been running ragged lately, some contracting, some even dying from COVID-19.
Ironically, most of our local staff have had their work hours--and income--cut back. Elective surgeries are about to resume, but patients are staying home as much as possible, even from the hospital and clinics. Hospice nurses are limited in the visits they can make to nursing homes.
In the meantime, Sanford has offered "upskilling." In some cases, it's a lateral move. Sometimes it may seem like a downward rather than an upward move. Certainly not the jobs everyone originally signed up for. That's where today's verse comes in.
In the history of ancient Israel, their capital city of Jerusalem was destroyed and their population deported for several decades. They were finally allowed to go back to their homeland. And the first item of business was to repair the walls of the city. Otherwise, new enemies would overrun them.
However, they didn't have enough stone masons to do the job quickly. And so everyone pitched in to help. Goldsmiths, perfume-makers, priests, merchants--everyone was "upskilled" to be carpenters and masons. Did they all do it as perfectly as professional builders? Probably not. That's what today's "inspirational verse" is about.
Our job descriptions have shifted, our tasks have changed, because together we're building a wall We don't know how bad things will get in our part of Iowa. But a wall of protection is going up, regardless.
Maybe now the verse makes sense:
"Next to [Melatiah and Jadon], Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall."
Lord God, whatever job we're called to do, help us to work together to build a protective wall for our community and patients. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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