Monitoring signs of life as a nurse include blood pressure, pulse, respiration and temperature and all are considered routine things. These measurements are vital though in diagnosing problems and reassessing them will show if a patient is stable, improved or if their condition is worsening. In 1999 pain was added to this vital sign list in the healthcare world and was labeled "the fifth vital sign".
Many physicians realized that pain affected pulse, respirations and blood pressures in a way that if not paying attention to pain; then they were not seeing the whole picture. You cannot treat a blood pressure without addressing pain because they directly affect each other. Pain needs to be fixed first and then naturally blood pressure will be corrected if that was the origin. Health care is a ever-changing field and if you are "doing it how it always has been done" then a physician, nurse or hospital is missing out on new signs and symptoms and innovative treatments that could help them diagnose and have better outcomes for their patients.
Just like vital signs in people; churches need to be monitored for increasing or decreasing life. Every church has preaching, teaching, worship, missions and fellowship. Is there something we are missing? We work so hard to have what we need for our people and new converts. But does that address the full picture? If we are truly a growing organism then the passion of reproduction inside our walls should be also a priority outside of our walls. What if Mercy were the 5th vital sign? What if addressing pain was added to the list of priorities in the church?
The Bible is pretty clear about how Christians and the church should care for one another. Mercy is compassion, blessing and favor despite a person's situation and that doesn't just include those who are saved. There are two different things that we need to look at here: First, how are we helping our members and secondly, how we are impacting those in our community. I believe that Church is a hospital for the hurting but unfortunately sometimes we get so caught up in ourselves that it is so easy for us to live communally. It is so easy to feel safe in our fortress that we created and protect ourselves from the "evil that lurks beyond". Helping the hurting can be messy!
Showing mercy is a characteristic of life in God's kingdom, it's a demonstration of power. The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:7 explains that mercy is one of the marks of righteousness, a gift of God. God has made it possible; so naturally his people must do it. When Christians mirror the heart of the one who has saved them it brings a new level of living and victory. Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan. Modeling mercy to our "neighbors" is part of the basic response of God's people to his covenant. True Christian faith produces genuine compassion and fruit in the form of acts of mercy toward those in need. It was this characteristic of mercy that caused Christ to go among all kinds of people to help. Believers are to respond to the mercy shown them in the same way. Because much mercy was given to us .....we need to give that same mercy to others.
I believe that Mercy is the factor that is going to affect our life, growth and our ever-changing culture. There are so many hurting people out there; the needs are vast and where and how we get involved and to what extent has blurry lines but what I do know is that the mix of truth and mercy coupled with the wisdom of the holy spirit is what is going to reach others in these last days. We all need to check our own vital signs and re-evaluate and re-prioritize what is working and what isn't working. God help us to be the heartbeat in our communities that fulfills the Great Commission and be the effective help for the hurting in every place we go and in every word we speak.
Adjust that Crown,
Jonna
