Taking a good look!

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
—Psalms 139:23-24 TLB

When was the last time you took a good look at life; family, health, finances, work or the future?

It isn’t always an easy thing to do nor is it necessarily fun! I have at times the unique ability to look and look and see the same thing over and over. I also have at times the ability to explain in what I think is unassailable logic why some things cannot change.

I don’t know about you, but I find that having another set of trusted eyes is most helpful. The other set of eyes help me to see not only what is but what can be!


Socrates said that "The unexamined life is not worth living." Pretty serious words from a pretty reputable source. If you don’t take time to reflect, to examine or assess, Socrates would say you don’t appreciate what life is or can be.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons said it a bit differently when he said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." To be completely and freely you as God created and gifted you to be, to embrace and express that life faithfully and live-fully to God’s glory.

This past week at University Community Hospital, we had some trusted eyes from a team of site visitors with the Joint Commission Hospital Accreditation. They carefully and thoroughly looked, listened, reviewed, assessed, and engaged with us in "examining" ourselves. All aspects of the hospital and Home Health Care received their undivided attention for four days. They affirmed many aspects of our working culture, our engaging employees, and physicians with whom they met. In affirming and encouraging they also helped us see again what we can do to "value" the ministry of healing that we embrace.

Socrates said the "unexamined life is not worth living". We would say that the unexamined hospital is not worth leading. Equally, St Irenaeus’s quote about the glory of God being man fully alive, we could say that the glory of God is a hospital fully alive and ever striving to be increasingly "alive."

It was wonderful to hear them affirm the ministry of UCH, and to speak of at least four care systems of UCH that are national examples of best practice!

This doesn’t happen by chance or overnight. It reflects the diligent and faithful work of each of you; trustees, physicians, leaders, nurses, allied health, nutrition, environmental, Human Resources, Med Staff, plant, security, and all support services.

And you know what? You can only know this good news, if you take time to reflect and examine that which you hold so precious!