For people living with chronic health conditions – people like me – the recent run of NHS walkouts has been a deeply anxiety-provoking time.
Uncertain access to medical care and cancelled appointments have made me fear what might happen and be frustrated about what is happening.
As someone impacted by the strikes, I've been challenged to think through what it looks to respond in a Christ-like way.
Psalm 33 reminds us that 'The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.'
The earth is full of God's unfailing love. And healthcare teams are a conduit of his grace and care for me. The strikes have prompted me to thank God for doctors, nurses, and paramedics and to pray their life-giving work would be recognised and safeguarded through truly sustainable working conditions.
And, when I've felt frustrated that, yet again, I'm faced with compromised health care provision, I've asked the Spirit to help me reflect this love – to be loving, patient, and gentle in my interactions with healthcare professionals.
And I've begun to think about the strikes as a justice issue–something God cares deeply about, and I can respond to in real, tangible terms.
Doctors are striking because their pay has not kept up with inflation, and they consider their working conditions to be unsustainable.
Put simply, they're fighting for justice – and the Lord loves justice. So, I've championed their concerns by writing to my MP, asking him to join me in fighting to protect the people who makeup the NHS which, by God's grace, is one of the best healthcare systems in the world – and made of people who have saved my life, on more than one occasion.
