A Greater Good

Isn't it amazing how, because of our work and efforts in preparing for Christmas, we ‘crash’ soon after the meal is finished, the presents have been opened and the relatives have left? Or as many of you ‘front line’ workers and colleagues are experiencing, work doesn’t seem to have an end because the need is so great. This is a short tribute to those who keep working, watching in envy, those who are taking a break with small groups of friends and family. So, from one colleague to another, thank you!

The celebration we regularly experience at this time of year, known as Christmas, did not happen without others needing to ignore their own needs. People who kept working, because they could see a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. The New Testament gospel of Matthew tells us of three wise men who fulfilled a heroic task as they followed a star for an insane length of time so they may one day meet the baby whom Christians believe, is the savior of the world. Though they were excited that God had chosen them, I’m sure that at more than one point during their journey, they wanted to throw in the towel. But just as doctors and nurses also do, what the wise men were called to do kept them moving.

How would you react if you saw a star that moved? Would you refuse to follow it? “Not today. Maybe tomorrow. I had a bad night sleep and I have a crick in my neck.” The wise men most definitely had this option during their two-year pilgrimage, and so do you. Or as they were, would you be so excited about contributing in this way that nothing can keep you from working towards this greater good?

Therefore, the wise men’s excitement was great enough, not just to walk for one day, but for seven hundred and thirty days before they met the Christ child. You, doctors and nurses could talk yourselves out of working for a greater good, because right now, it’s just one exhausting day followed by another. What we have to keep us going is hope that something good will happen soon. And because of you, those who maintain this hope, the light we see is getting brighter.