In Unexpected Ways

The beginning of each day is another chance to listen for God's voice. There are times when He whispers, times when He shouts ... and times when He speaks through an unexpected voice. Which will you hear today? (written 5 Feb 2008)

Yesterday started pretty much like any other weekday, except that we didn't have Microbiology (translate that to no class at 8 a.m.!). Ethics gave us one more class day before Wednesday's test, but added one more chapter of information. Zip home for lunch and a quick change before heading to work, only to find the gas tank on fumes and gasping. Dash into work 3 minutes late to find a relatively peaceful waiting room. (Remember, however, that a peaceful waiting room can transform into a mass of patients/family/friends before you can blink twice.)

Settling in at my station, I realized that there was neither a patient waiting to be registered nor one headed toward me. Translation? Pre-time! For those who do not work in registration, a "pre" is short for "pre-registration" or "pre-admission", and is something that we do for our scheduled patients to expedite their registration process on the day of their procedure or appointment. I pulled a list of pre's to work on, and pulled up the screen for the first name on the list. I pulled up the first screen, and picked up the phone. Before you wonder, I am not going to walk you through the entire pre-registration process ... the story just makes more sense this way. Pre's are categorized as either a "phone" pre or a "computer" pre. Computer pre's can be done when the patient has visited within a set period of time and the information is available. Phone pre's must be done when the patient has not been in recently, or has never been to our facility before. Pre-registering (or pre-admitting) a patient is just like the actual registration process except the patient is not sitting in front of you ... they are either already in the computer, or they are on the other end of the phone. Anyway, back to the tale.

The first pre was a phone pre, and I dialed the number on the screen. After a couple of rings (and wondering whether or not it was going to be a "leave a message" day), a pleasant voice picked up the phone. I introduced myself and asked to speak to the patient, explaining that I wanted to pre-register them for an appointment if they had a few minutes available to do so. She stepped away from the phone for a minute, then returned ready to answer questions. Verifying all the information, I was near completion of the pre when the person to whom I was speaking said to me, "we're not sure what this will be, but we're just turning it over to God." She then asked me to lift their name in prayer and I said that I would. She then asked me if I would be at work when they came in for the appointment. I explained to her that I worked in the ER and worked second shift, and that they would be coming in through Outpatient. She explained that she just thought we might have lunch or something! She asked me for my name again, and then told me "you have my number, call me anytime, even if you just want to talk." I completed the pre, thanked her for her time, and hung up the phone.

I can't really even find the words to say how much that simple phone call touched me yesterday. Sometimes the message we are given comes from unexpected avenues. Which avenue will yours come down today?

God, I thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon me. Thank you for the love of family and friends, and for allowing me to help others to the best of my ability. May I never lose sight of You, to whom all the credit belongs.


"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." ~Psalm 34:17-18 NIV