Tribute to society’s unseen heroes

Sat at home one recent Monday evening I received a message saying that a close family member had injured themselves and was at A&E. Needless to say plans changed and I made contact to check they were ok. 

Thankfully the injury was not a major one and the grateful patient was able to leave Derriford hours later after being checked over and treated. Myself and my wife went up to the hospital in the early hours of the morning to offer a lift and be there to support if we could. 

In my only previous experiences with the emergency department I have been the patient and so it was a strange experience going in to wait with someone. I have to say it was an assault on the senses as I could see and hear people of all ages with varying degrees of physical ailments. It was pretty overwhelming. 

Standing there feeling quite uncomfortable I couldn’t help but feel an almighty sense of admiration for all the staff who were there to care for the patients. There were all kinds of different needs to be met and new people continually arriving by car or ambulance to add to their workload.  As is the nature of that particular ward, some of the cases were quite extreme and those whose injuries were more severe were quickly whisked away to private areas to be examined further. 

The saying that people are ‘unsung heroes’ is now cliché but it is so apt for the staff I saw on that day. They remained calm under the obvious pressure and treated the people who turned up with skill, kindness and consideration. 

Rarely have I felt so aware that I could not do what someone else is doing as I did then. They may feel that they were just doing their day job but to me it was heroic. They are literally involved in saving people’s lives on a daily basis. 

It was also clear that this was at a significant personal cost. We were at the emergency department at 2am and yet there were many staff all committing their time and energy to the task at hand. Many undoubtedly having already worked long shifts and all of them working very unsociable hours. 

In the days since I have considered the many other people across this city and further afield who do all kinds of challenging jobs that contribute greatly to the lives of others. From social workers to cleaners, teachers to fire and rescue workers, there are so many people whose work is often unseen, not recognised and at times thankless; but makes a significant difference to our society. 

The challenge in feeling unseen is that it can be very demoralising and difficult to keep going; unsure what purpose there is in the work you are doing. 

That is why I wanted to write this article. To say a public thank you to any of you who are reading this and feeling like your work is unseen. 

The truth is that not matter how much you might feel like that, it isn’t true. 

For a start if you suddenly stopped doing what you are doing many people would notice. Even if you aren’t in an obvious public service role, your job has purpose. 

If you own a business, think of the employees and customers whose lives would be affected if you stopped. If you work as a waitress in a restaurant, think of the number of people who you have served as they celebrate a special occasion or enjoy a well earned meal out. 

Not only that but God sees you. That may sound like a strange thing to say but the truth is God sees what you do and loves you and your life more than you could know. 

God knows what you contribute and how much it costs you to do what you do. He knows the ups and the downs and the struggles you face to keep going and He is your biggest cheerleader. 

As I write this Easter is fast approaching, a time when many millions of people across the globe will remember the fact that God showed up to mankind in the person of Jesus and demonstrated powerful love for people, often taking time out to be with those who felt like they were unseen. 

Far beyond my ability to describe in a short article, there are many people to this day who know Jesus is with them in their day-to-day life and draw great comfort, peace and resolve from that. 

The best news is that this can be true for you too.