Resident Chaplain Kristen E. Larson on offering forgiveness and hope

God on Wheels or with a Limp:
Pastoral Care from the “Disabled” Perspective

“Watch out! Here comes Scooter Girl!”

Yes, this is my nickname on one of the units at Methodist Hospital. I was born with the physical disability known as arthrogryposis (meaning “stiff joints”) and congenital muscular dystrophy (meaning “being born with weak muscles”).

Have you ever wondered…how does a chaplain function while dealing with personal physical challenges? Thus, how does a chaplain provide effective pastoral care while possibly enduring similar difficulties to that of the patient?

CREATIVITY – that is the primary tool!

Regarding the use of my scooter, I utilize it primarily when serving as the sole on-call chaplain. This can involve much physical movement between units, which results in easy exhaustion for me. When awakened during a night shift, I usually have to arrive at the situation in a quick manner; therefore, I frequently drive my scooter sock-footed to save the time of putting on my shoes and braces.

In regards to actually giving pastoral care, when entering the room on my scooter, I find myself usually offering care from the end of the bed so as to not shuffle furniture nor interrupt communication with visitors. While I may not be able to physically touch the patient from this perspective, I have discovered that I can usually hold direct eye contact with them as well as place my hand at the end of the bed when offering prayer.

Furthermore, when needing to rest from walking awhile, I sometimes sit next to a visitor to offer him or her care. This permits me the opportunity to reach the hurting individual both physically and emotionally as well as not interrupt my mission of pastoral care.

Using opportunities of needing personal assistance, I find myself checking on staff while getting needs met. An example – when I request assistance with putting on a gown before speaking with a patient in isolation. While he or she ties the gown, I check how the staff member’s day is proceeding.

Most importantly, as a pastoral caregiver with personal physical challenges, I have found that my work on the units offers continuous hope and encouragement to both the staff and the patients. Specifically, I recall offering hope to a mother with a son born with club feet by walking into the room and speaking to her about my own experience with the same diagnosis.

Theologically, my role as a pastoral caregiver reminds me of an incident in Richard Bach's Illusions. A physically challenged man approaches Donald, the “messiah,” for an airplane ride. Here, the man suddenly and easily climbs out of his wheelchair and into the plane. In this situation, Donald serves as a healing presence by offering the man a period of liberation. Similarly, John 8:1–11 emphasizes the importance of offering liberty, not judgment, as Christ offered forgiveness and hope for the adulteress when He disrupted the threats to stone her.

I try to minister righteously for the moment, providing hope for the future. My model of pastoral care is summed up in the following well-known quote: “Do not lead, for I may not follow. Do not follow, for I may not lead. Walk beside me, and be my friend.” Basically, I bring spirituality and healing to staff and patients with a new perspective – God on wheels or with a limp!