The New Self
New graduate. New nursing license. New scrubs. New job.
Everything feels exciting when I come into work, swipe my badge, and put my lunch in the employee refrigerator. That's right, I am an employee for the first time in my life!
For the past four years, I have introduced myself as a nursing student. Now, I can introduce myself as a nurse. I am finding that being a nurse is so much different (and better!) than being a student. But sometimes, I find myself falling into thinking like a student instead of thinking like a nurse.
For example, one time I was admitting a patient with my nurse preceptor. When my preceptor explained to the patient that we were going to start her IV, she replied, "Well, I am pretty bad with needles, so you better send someone who is really good!" My heart sank as I interpreted her comment to mean, "You aren't going to do this one, Ashli."
When my preceptor and I walked out of the room, I was just waiting for her to say, "Why don't you let me do this IV, and I will let you do the next one." But instead, she looked at me and said, "I am going to get the IV supplies for you. You've got this, right?" Taking courage from her confidence in me, I squared my shoulders and said, "Yes!"
In the patient's room, I set out all my supplies and began talking to her, telling her what I was going to do. She stared at me and double checked my competency, "So you're really good at this, huh?"
I looked at her in a moment of absolute fear. If I had an IV start record, there would be only a handful of successes next to all the many, many unsuccessful attempts. Part of me almost told her the truth: Well...I have only done this a few times. I'm a new graduate - a baby nurse really. I just started this job a week ago, and I really need some experience. Do you mind if I practice on you? But here I was, bending over her bedside with a needle in hand, so I did the best I could to look sure of myself. "Yes, I am." I lied.
I whispered a quick prayer to Jesus to please, please let me get this IV started on the first try. And sure enough, He did it!
In that moment, I learned that I cannot use the "I'm just a nursing student" excuse anymore. I need to retrain my thinking to think like a nurse, not a student. When I think like a timid student, I become a timid student. When I think like a confident nurse, I become a confident nurse. I am learning to give myself this pep talk: "I am no longer a student! I am a nurse!"
I think that we too often view ourselves as the things that we really are not. I'm a failure. I'm a disappointment. I'm rejected, unlovable, undesirable. I am a thief and a liar. I am prideful, greedy, lustful. I'm hopeless, lonely, lost.
In other words, we think of ourselves in terms of our "old selves" rather than our "new selves".
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Ephesians 2:2-5
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Colossians 3:9-10
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Titus 3:3-8
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
This message from the Bible is so empowering, so freeing! These Scriptures challenge us to take confidence in who we are in Christ. Instead of waking up in the morning and looking in the mirror at the same old sinner with the same old struggles, we are free to claim our identity as the new self - made alive in Christ.
Sometimes we all wake up and feel like the old self, just like I sometimes slip back into thinking like a student instead of a nurse. But that's when we need to give ourselves a pep talk and remind ourselves who we really are. When we give our lives to Christ, we die to our sinner-selves and put on our new selves. His blood covers us, and we are made completely new. By grace we are saved and made alive, even on the days when we may not feel like it. We may still sin and struggle, but that is no longer our identity. It is no longer who we are. I think that is why Paul said:
Everything feels exciting when I come into work, swipe my badge, and put my lunch in the employee refrigerator. That's right, I am an employee for the first time in my life!
For the past four years, I have introduced myself as a nursing student. Now, I can introduce myself as a nurse. I am finding that being a nurse is so much different (and better!) than being a student. But sometimes, I find myself falling into thinking like a student instead of thinking like a nurse.
For example, one time I was admitting a patient with my nurse preceptor. When my preceptor explained to the patient that we were going to start her IV, she replied, "Well, I am pretty bad with needles, so you better send someone who is really good!" My heart sank as I interpreted her comment to mean, "You aren't going to do this one, Ashli."
When my preceptor and I walked out of the room, I was just waiting for her to say, "Why don't you let me do this IV, and I will let you do the next one." But instead, she looked at me and said, "I am going to get the IV supplies for you. You've got this, right?" Taking courage from her confidence in me, I squared my shoulders and said, "Yes!"
In the patient's room, I set out all my supplies and began talking to her, telling her what I was going to do. She stared at me and double checked my competency, "So you're really good at this, huh?"
I looked at her in a moment of absolute fear. If I had an IV start record, there would be only a handful of successes next to all the many, many unsuccessful attempts. Part of me almost told her the truth: Well...I have only done this a few times. I'm a new graduate - a baby nurse really. I just started this job a week ago, and I really need some experience. Do you mind if I practice on you? But here I was, bending over her bedside with a needle in hand, so I did the best I could to look sure of myself. "Yes, I am." I lied.
I whispered a quick prayer to Jesus to please, please let me get this IV started on the first try. And sure enough, He did it!
In that moment, I learned that I cannot use the "I'm just a nursing student" excuse anymore. I need to retrain my thinking to think like a nurse, not a student. When I think like a timid student, I become a timid student. When I think like a confident nurse, I become a confident nurse. I am learning to give myself this pep talk: "I am no longer a student! I am a nurse!"
I think that we too often view ourselves as the things that we really are not. I'm a failure. I'm a disappointment. I'm rejected, unlovable, undesirable. I am a thief and a liar. I am prideful, greedy, lustful. I'm hopeless, lonely, lost.
In other words, we think of ourselves in terms of our "old selves" rather than our "new selves".
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Ephesians 2:2-5
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Colossians 3:9-10
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Titus 3:3-8
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
This message from the Bible is so empowering, so freeing! These Scriptures challenge us to take confidence in who we are in Christ. Instead of waking up in the morning and looking in the mirror at the same old sinner with the same old struggles, we are free to claim our identity as the new self - made alive in Christ.
Sometimes we all wake up and feel like the old self, just like I sometimes slip back into thinking like a student instead of a nurse. But that's when we need to give ourselves a pep talk and remind ourselves who we really are. When we give our lives to Christ, we die to our sinner-selves and put on our new selves. His blood covers us, and we are made completely new. By grace we are saved and made alive, even on the days when we may not feel like it. We may still sin and struggle, but that is no longer our identity. It is no longer who we are. I think that is why Paul said:
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained." (Philippians 3:12-16)"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). You are saved, redeemed, forgiven, and righteous. You are loved, valued, treasured, and delighted in. You have a purpose and a future. You have hope, life, joy, and peace. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are being guided, protected, and renewed. Christ is in you, and you are His.
excellence!
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