February 2019

For the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about these five words. I’ve heard a variation of them in different sermons and messages from a few different pastors and preachers over the last month or so. To be honest, I’ve struggled with these five words.

It’s the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I’m not going to go through the whole thing, but it’s important that we set the scene. They were the 3 young men who stood in front of King Nebuchadnezzar and basically told him that they would not bow down to his gods. He threatened to toss them (alive) into a blazing hot furnace. The three young men stood in front of the king and told him once more that they would not bow down. They then proceeded to tell the king that they knew God would save them if they were to be thrown into the furnace. But look at what they said next:

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But even if he doesn’t…”

I sat for a while wondering if I’ve ever been that bold in my faith. Lately it hasn’t seemed that way. I made the decision to return home to my parents’ house and since then anything and everything that could go wrong has. I told my mom today that I feel like I’m one car problem away from a nervous breakdown. She told me to stay calm and be positive; everything would work out.

But even if it doesn’t…

Well, what if it doesn’t? Then what do I do?

The truth is…I don’t know. I won’t know unless it actually doesn’t work out. Why is it that we have so much faith that things will work out but lack the belief that even if he doesn’t do that thing that we need or give us that relationship that we want, we will still be okay. These three boys knew that even if God chose not to spare their lives, they would still okay because they would have died in obedience.

Can we say and/or do the same? Just a thought.

Xoxo,

Ash, RN

I’m currently working on an assignment for school. It’s about mentoring. The assignment got me thinking…

What type of mentor do I want to be?

At my last job I had the privilege of being assigned a mentor that was separate from my preceptor (more on that later). By the time my mentor and I knew she was my mentor, I was already over my job and looking for new ones. The person that was chosen to be my mentor was incredibly fit for the job. She was in the process of getting her master’s and a clinical instructor. She was great to work with and a very helpful resource on those stressful days. Had we had the proper mentor/mentee relationship, I think we both would have flourished. I think it would have been good for her to put on her resume or use for the clinical ladder and for me – maybe I wouldn’t have hated my job so much so quickly.

I mentioned earlier that my mentor was not my preceptor. Smartest decision ever! My preceptor trained me on the job for the job. She was also great and a very helpful resource. Preceptors are meant to teach and evaluate your performance as a nurse; the relationship is professional. In the case of mentors, I think the relationship is (or should be) more personal.

Things you should look for in a mentor:

Someone who listens to you
Someone who encourages you
Someone who is willing to push you out of you comfort zone
Someone who has the ability to look past how THEY feel to help you
Someone who will hold you accountable
Someone who does not shy away from providing constructive criticism
Someone who has the ability to be lead (Some of the best mentors have their own mentor. You cannot be an effective leader if you don’t know how to be lead.)

Those were just some of the things I thought about. I’m interested to know if you guys had a mentor and how they treated you. Were they helpful? Kind? Could they have done or been better? Let me know.

Xoxo,

Ash, RN

https://astoldbyashley.com/2019/02/12/85/

Archives for February 2019