The Pain Scale

As much as I love helping others, there are many aspects of nursing that aggravate me at times. They shouldn’t, but they do.

I’ve been a nurse for almost thirteen years, and one of the biggest annoyances for me still to this day is the pain scale. Rarely (in my opinion) do I feel that individuals use it appropriately or honestly.

In nursing school, you’re told, “The patient’s pain is whatever they say it is.” That’s often hard to accept, especially when there’s lack of physical evidence to back up claims of severe pain, such as grimacing, frowning, moaning, difficulty consoling, increased heart rate and/or blood pressure, etc. Simply being able to get out of bed and make one’s way to a clinic or urgent care facility is a sign to me that a patient still has some leeway before hitting the top of the pain scale.

Therefore, when I ask, “How bad is your pain from zero to ten, zero being no pain, and ten being the worst pain possible?” and a patient says, “It’s a twelve out of ten,” or “It’s a twenty out of ten,” I often find myself holding back an eye roll, sigh, or a “Seriously?” stare.

Firstly, ten is the highest number possible. When we say from zero to ten, we mean zero to ten. You can’t go higher than a ten. Secondly, when I think of ten out of ten pain, I think of on-the-brink-of-death pain. If you’re in such excruciating pain that you’re a “twelve out of ten,” you should already be dead from the anguish of your suffering.

I try to be empathetic to others’ pain, I truly do, and I always document what the patient says their pain level is (unless it’s over a ten, and then they get a ten because again, that’s literally the highest it could be).

However, when I think of ten out of ten pain, I think of Jesus while He was hanging there on the cross. He had been spit on, punched, slapped, hit with a staff on the head over and over again, flogged, and beaten to near death with a crown of thorns placed on His head just for kicks. His hands and feet were nailed to trees shaped into a cross. His body was wrecked, His spirit low, and His precious blood ran down His body onto the ground.

Jesus was in pure physical and mental torment, so much so that at His lowest point, He cried out to His Father in despair, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:30).

Jesus didn’t have morphine or oxycodone or hydrocodone available to ease his suffering. He didn’t even have a Tylenol. He hung there, and He felt everything until He gave up his last breath for us.

To me, that is ten out of ten pain. I don’t think most of us have ever actually experienced that sort of misery, and I pray that we never have to.  Jesus did though, and He did it for you and for me. I encourage you to read the account for yourself in Matthew 27:1-56, Mark 15:1-41, Luke 22:66-23:49, and John 19:1-37.

The Women Stayed

Thank the Lord, I haven’t yet lost a parent, a sibling, a spouse, or a child, so I admit I don’t know the deep despair that comes from such a loss. Being a nurse who has worked in various specialties including emergency nursing, cardiology services, and hospice, I have been exposed to death many times, and it is never easy to witness.

I try to imagine what the disciples, Jesus’ family, and His other followers were feeling in the hours after Jesus’ death. Not only was Jesus the savior of the world, but He was also a son, a brother, a friend, a teacher, and a leader.

During the uncertainty and shock after Jesus’ arrest and prior to his crucifixion and death, the Bible tells us, “Then all the disciples deserted him and fled,” (Matthew 26:56). We know that Peter discreetly followed those who held Jesus captive to the high priest’s courtyard where Jesus was questioned, but we also know that following this, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times to various individuals. We also know that, too little too late, Judas Iscariot (Jesus’ betrayer) had a change of heart and tried to return the money he was paid to betray the Lord. He was so stricken with guilt for what he had done to Jesus that he hung himself.

The twelve closest people to Jesus failed Him during his most trying moments, yet He already predicted this would happen and loved them still.

The twelve men closest to Jesus either fled from Him, disowned Him, and/or betrayed Him for whatever reason (fear, avoiding prison, self-doubt…we don’t really know). However, despite this, it brings me great comfort to know that while the men fled, the women closest to Jesus stayed.

• They watched the crucifixion. Matthew 27:55-56, tells us “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons (Salome).”
• They were near during the burial, when Joseph of Arimathea prepared Jesus’ body and placed it in his personal tomb. “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb,” (Matthew 27:61).
• They were the first at the tomb and the first told of Jesus’ resurrection on that blessed day. “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it…The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay…” (Matthew 28:1-6).
• Furthermore, the coolest thing for me is that after Jesus’ resurrection, they were the first people to whom Jesus revealed Himself…not Peter, not John, not James, but to the feminine faithful! “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me,’” (Matthew 28:8-10).

Why did Jesus reveal Himself to His female followers first? I don’t know that answer because the Bible doesn’t tell us why. Maybe, He sought them out first because they were the closest to the burial site. Maybe He reached out to them because of their great faith. Maybe He wanted to wait and greet the eleven remaining disciples at the same time, and needed trust-worthy and obedient messengers to ensure it was arranged.

I don’t know why the women saw Jesus first, but the fact that they did is very encouraging to me.

Ladies, don’t underestimate your importance to Christ. He will seek you out and use you for His glory as well if you are committed to Him. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10).

He is Alive

On Easter Sunday every year, our church shows a video about the death of Jesus and His resurrection with S.M. Lockridge’s monologue, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming.”

Today is Easter Sunday, and we listened to that powerful composition again. I encourage you to look it up and listen if you haven’t already.

To many, the Easter holiday means egg hunts, baskets full of goodies, Easter church service, and meals with family and friends. Please, don’t forget that Easter Sunday is most importantly Resurrection Sunday. For Christians, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pinnacle of our faith.

Jesus died a tortuous death with the weight of the sins of the world on His shoulders. He knew He would have to die and knew it wouldn’t be a simple death. I couldn’t imagine the mental struggle He must have gone through.

Jesus even predicted His death three different times to His disciples, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified,” (Matthew 20:17-19).

Jesus died on the cross completely alone, as even God the Father turned His face away knowing it was the only way to fulfill the promise of eternal life to believers, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 6:23). He did that for us because He loves us, even those who don’t show Him love. Jesus’ death was the ultimate sacrifice for us, but His death is not the end of the story.

As Jesus went on to predict at the end of Matthew 20:19, “On the third day he will be raised to life,” and that’s exactly what happened.

Sunday is here, and for those who believe Jesus was who He said He was, Sunday is every day because Jesus is alive today, tomorrow, and forevermore!

If you are a believer in Christ and accept salvation through Him, the Resurrection Promise is for you. Read more about this promise in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Unless Jesus returns for His believers during our lifetime, death is a certainty for all of us. However, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are provided hope for eternal life after this earthly one.

Take heart is these verses today:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16).

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him,” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. My Father’s house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am,” (John 14:1-3).

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die,’” (John 11:25).

Have a blessed week!

-Becky