Images of Pastoral Care
I
have chosen 3 images to examine from the Dykstra book. They are the Courageous Shepherd, the Agent
of Hope and the Gardener.
First
the Courageous Shepherd. The image of the shepherd I grew up with was the kind
shepherd watching over his flock and Jesus caring for the lost lamb. Yet there is a courage that must accompany
the gentleness of caring. It is the willingness
of the shepherd to protect his flock even at the cost of his life. “Caring is costly, unsettling, and even
distasteful at times.”[1] Caring is for the whole flock, the ones that
get lost, the ones that get into trouble, the mean ones, and the wandering
ones. Jesus ministered to those on the
margins of life, those who were not welcomed with hospitality, the
outcasts.
In a
patient’s room in CPE, I have encountered all types of diversity including
people on the margins. Some do not have
the social skills or mental capacity to interact with others; some have been
homeless or drug users; some or isolated from family either by circumstances or
by distance. They are the invisible people
on the edges of society. They need care too. The shepherd stays with the sheep.
There
is also a certain loneliness to a shepherd’s life; isolation from others as one
cares for the flock. Campbell talks
about the wandering life of the shepherd. “The shepherd was with his flock day
and night, often in remote places far from home.”[2] As one answering the call of ministry, I
answer the call to go where I am needed or more specifically where I need to be
for a time. For seminary, that meant
moving to Richmond, leaving familiar places, friends, and family. For future ministry I hope to stay in
Virginia or return to the Carolinas, however God may have a different path, a
different place, and a different flock for me.
The
shepherd is a leader and protector. The enduring image of the ‘good shepherd’
was given a new perspective for me when in seminary, my Greek professor said he
preferred to translate καλός
as the ‘beautiful shepherd’. The
shepherd is caring and courageous, gentle and strong.
Next
is the Image of the Agent of Hope. Personally
I embrace hope: hope of blessings yet to come.
Hope and faith are intertwined for me.
Faith may be hope dressed up in religious terminology.
Hope being ‘to want something to happen or be true and think that it
could happen or be true’[3]. For faith the best definition for me is in
Hebrews. “Now faith is
the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”[4]
As
Capps describes pastors, they are agents of hope. “They often feel vulnerable
is the fact that they having nothing other than hope to offer, and hope is a
very intangible thing.”[5] This is probably the reason I began CPE
feeling uncomfortable seeing what was ‘behind the door’ (to the patient’s
room). What could I offer the
patient? I could not fix what was wrong,
it may be a onetime meeting with this person, and there was no long term
relationship or support. What could I
offer to the person in pain or suffering?
Presence of being there in the moment and hope. Hope for healing and recovery. One definition Capps uses for hope states
“When we hope, we envision eventualities that are not yet realities but
nevertheless appear to us as potential realities.”[6]
The
difficulty with hope is the risk, the chance of hope not being realized, the
potential failure, not facing realistic goals, not recognizing “the fruit of
various past hopes that have been fulfilled”[7]
, and consequences for others. Hope is
risky.
When
I pray with a patient, I included thanks for blessings that have been received
and mention having faith and hope in the blessings yet to come. Our charting options include concerns of hope
or despair and outcomes include enhanced hope.
Hope is powerful. If that is all
a pastor has to give, even though it is intangible, it is still a precious gift
to give to others.
The
final image is the Gardener. “A gardener
must tend to the ground as well as cultivate the plants growing in the
ground. The gardener does not make the
plants grow. God does. The gardener attends to their growth as the
plants become what they are meant to be.”[8] I love this imagery! As pastors we do not the ability to grow the
plants only care for them. It reminds me
of the imagery of being fishers of men; we can fish, but God must reel them in.
Kornfeld’s
image of the gardener is rooted in community; “rooted in the same ground and
sustained by the same community.”[9] Relating to CPE for me this ties into the
interdisciplinary teamwork. The
community works together, builds a relationship with each other, and comes to
the aid of one in need. As the chaplain
on the unit, I care for the nurses and staff but I also rely on them as we as a
tem (a community) work together to help the patient, who is only planted in our
garden for a temporary time.
In
my future ministry, the community will be a congregation. It will be a different garden, mainly because
of the soil. “The soil is our religious
tradition and our expression of it.”[10] Yet, my role as gardener will be similar, to
tend the garden, care for the people around me, and being part of the community
as a whole. Kornfeld also used one of my
favorite phrases ‘to grow in grace’.
This growth is grounded in love for God and ministry to others has grown
from this love.[11]
So
these 3 images are some I embrace: the Courageous Shepherd,
the Agent of Hope and the Gardener.
Tending of flocks and plants, offering hope, caring for all especially
those on the margins of life, working in community, having faith in what is yet
to be are all parts of who I am and who I continue to grow into through God’s
grace.
