A Caregiver's Calling
Ministry Experiences of Those Called to Serve the Vulnerable
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“Living according to the spirit means doing the actions which the spirit of God asks of us.” St. Frances deSales My reason for writing this book is to share my experiences of ministry, as well as the experiences of others who offer the love of Jesus Christ in the service one another, loving as Jesus loves.As St. John writes, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12-13) Another reason is to offer ministers a resource to enhance their knowledge and experience so that they may more confidently involve themselves in the process of ministry which I believe we are all called to “Live wholly according to the spirit…live sweetly and in peace. Be quite confident that God will help you, and in all that happens, rest in the arms of his mercy.” St. Frances deSales I always think of the word ministry as being synonymous with service. Therefore, the ministry of Jesus, the ministry of love, is a service of love. How do we serve people with the heart of Jesus? We serve them with love. In order to serve them with love, we have to have a servant’s heart. How do we acquire a servant’s heart? We approach the One who came not to be served but to serve and ask Him for the grace to become a servant like Him. “Love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12 It was quite a revelation to me when I discovered what I am convinced is the meaning of love when we are talking about the love we are to have for all God’s people. We are not required anywhere that I am aware of, to like everyone. We are, however, required to love them. How can this be? The answer lies in the fact that this universal love for all people does not lie in the emotions. It is a considered decision made to care for everyone simply because they are children of the Father, created by Him, with divine dignity granted by Him to every man, woman and child on this earth. It means always wanting good for them, not bad. It means not giving up on them. It means not judging them, but praying for them. It means learning to look that which is unlovable in them, to see Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord; I want to see Jesus. With this in mind, the stories shared are individual experiences of those who love and care for others. Each presents individual gifts and talents as well as similarities. It is tn the sharing of our life stories that we draw more deeply into our personal faith and understanding of God’s love for us individually, and his great and universal love for all.
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About the Book
Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34).
One line in the Prayer of St. Francis reads, “For it is in giving that we receive.” It is my belief and the intent of this book to emphasize these two points. As caregivers, we are to love as Jesus loves. This love is selfless and unconditional. When we love like this, the line from St. Francis’s prayer is fulfilled for us. It is in giving that we receive. As we grow in Jesus’ love, we find that we not only receive but receive far more than we give. I wrote this book to assist anyone involved in any type of ministry to realize in their lives this reciprocal nature of service to one another, and have enlisted the help of others with varied backgrounds in ministry to offer their assistance as well.
About the Author
Marlys Jean Olson is a chaplain at St, Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd, Minnesota. She has a lifetime of experience working in ministry through nursing homes, home care, hospitals, education, and as a guardian ad litem.