What does a Christian Science nurse do? The question has frequently been asked of me, and about half those asking have been Christian Scientists. So I thought I'd like to answer this question in an article—beginning at the beginning.
When one seeking healing in Christian Science needs nursing care, the nurse is able to provide it at home or at a sanatorium or nursing home accredited by The Christian Science Board of Directors. The nurse dresses wounds and keeps the body clean, comfortable, and nourished so that it intrudes less on the patient's thought. And while performing these duties, the nurse supports the prayerful help the Christian Science practitioner is giving through his or her perception of God and of man's relationship to Him as His spiritual reflection.
Affirming and understanding that divine Love is omnipresent and that man as God's reflection includes all the qualities of Love, or Soul, the nurse naturally expresses these qualities. This helps preserve a harmonious atmosphere and gives tangible evidence of divine Love's presence. The nurse needs to maintain a strong conviction that she and the patient are never in the presence of anything but divine Love. Love is not something that can get up and walk away, leaving one feeling alone and uncared for. Love is Spirit, in whom "we live, and move, and have our being," Acts 17:28; as the apostle states. The nurse rests in the certainty of Spirit's infinitude the Psalmist expressed: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." Ps. 139:7-12; The nurse is confident that Love never fails.
