S – Servanthood

·      What an honor and privilege it is to be used by God to walk alongside a Care Receiver (CR) on his/her journey to wholeness. To show up every week to meet with your Care Receiver for an hour, to attend Supervisory Group group every other week to support and encourage fellow Stephen Minister’s and the privilege to pray for your Care Receiver are all acts of obedience, dedication and servanthood to our almighty God.

T – Trustworthiness (part of the compass)

·      Trusting in God, His Word and His Ways (full of faith – compass), trusting in the Stephen Minister training (skills – compass), trusting in the Stephen Minister process (boundaries, caring assertiveness, confidentiality, etc.) and trusting in your Care Receiver. These things will earn the trust of your Care Receiver and once that happens, the healing and growth begins.

E – Empathy

·      It can be learned; I am a prime example of that. I am still learning that the ability to recognize and understand the feelings of others on a more personal level leads to a completely different perspective…a perspective of sincerity, compassion (compass), thoughtfulness, respect, faithfulness and grace…all of these encompassing a more Godly perspective to be more empathic towards people.

P – Patience

·      As we have been trained, this is process-driven ministry, not results.  This way of thinking definitely requires patience because there will be times when you think your Care Receiver should be picking up on things quicker or not ruminating too long or not making good decisions.  This is where Supervisory Group comes in handy to remind us not to strive for results, but to keep with the process. To keep showing up, listening, encouraging, affirming the Care Receiver and trusting God is working, because He is!

H – Humility

·      At the end of the day, this ministry is not about us.  It’s about God and how God is going to use each of us to minister to our Care Receiver’s. It’s offering grace, empathy, and compassion (compass) to other people. It’s providing a safe place to express their feelings.  It’s keeping our mouths shut, even when we think we might have something important to say and letting them talk. And I might add…silence is not a bad thing which can be very humbling to both people in the room.

E – Excellence

·      And in excellence, I do not mean perfection. It’s doing it God’s Way, following those acts of obedience, dedication and servanthood to our almighty God as we give God the glory. It’s having a Godly perspective. To walk down the path of righteousness (and I might add path of wholeness as we learned in training) beside our Care Receiver with integrity, discernment, and compassion in a purposeful, steadfast and faithful manner. To do right by your Care Receiver and other around you.  Things will not always go “right” with your Care Receiver, but we can strive for Godly excellence as we, as Stephen Minister’s, learn and grow along with our Care Receiver’s

N – Notice

·      As you meet and listen with your Care Receiver, be observant towards patterns about your Care Receiver: are they early or late, their tone of voice, body language, what they are saying but I sometimes think, most importantly, what they are not saying. When you notice the good, affirm, affirm, affirm him or her! If you noticed progress…tell them! If you notice a change in body posture, tell them. Notice and be observant!

The last thing I’ll add is have something that will help you focus your mind and heart before your visit.  Maybe a song, prayer, a deep breathe, or bible verse. I like to recite Psalm 19:14 as I’m driving to meet my Care Receiver …” Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

These are just a few things I have learned or experienced that’s important when interreacting with our Care Receivers. Though the most important point to remember is that God is and forever will be the Curegiver. Trust God, trust your training and trust the process. I know God is going to use this special ministry to do great things to advance His Kingdom and to help future Care Receivers heal and grow in his or her journey to wholeness.  May God bless those who choose this servanthood ministry of trustworthiness, empathy, patience, humility, and excellence. Your steadfastness and dedication are to be commended! I’m grateful and humbled to be a small part of it.  It is a joy, honor and privilege to serve in this wonderful ministry!

Thank you and God bless!

Kelly Osborn