Last month, my friend and I were still lamenting the fact that our favorite nurse practitioner had retired. She told me that the one comment running through the medical community was, “This is a loss to our hospital. We stood on her shoulders!”
The comment “We stood on her shoulders” made me think about its meaning, and then I visualized that the shoulders belonged to a giant. I envisioned a large human being with broad, muscular shoulders that carried himself in a fierce, superior, intimidating way. To be carried on one’s shoulder means “Using the understanding gained by major thinkers who have gone before in order to make intellectual progress.” The phrase can be traced back to the twelfth century, when philosopher Bernard of Chartres compared people to dwarves perched on the shoulders of giants and said that “we see more and farther than our predecessors, not because we have keener vision or greater height, but because we are lifted up and borne aloft on their gigantic stature.” The most familiar version of this phrase was coined by Sir Isaac Newton in 1675, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.”
Our medical giant was all of 5’2 and walked with a plethora of knowledge, class, and grace, touching more lives than she’ll ever know. Her humility could humble the most arrogant. As I think about this nurse practitioner and everything that she has given to patients, colleagues, physician assistants, and present and future nurse practitioners, I am reminded that she stepped into her calling, paving a way and expectation for the future of others. As Christians, aren’t we called to do the same? Whose shoulders have we stood upon? Are there people standing on our shoulders?
When I think about biblical giants, I think of the battle between David and Goliath. Here, the giant is not the menacing Goliath; it is David. It is his shoulders that carried the army of scared men to safety by slaying Goliath. Remember, David was the runt of all the brothers. This shows that giants come in small packages, but I’ll bet David didn’t see himself as a giant. He saw himself as a faithful servant of God. In our professions, we may be giants with a number of people standing on our shoulders without us knowing it. And it’s probably good not to know who or how many so that we can avoid any temptation of arrogance.
There was Noah who was obedient in building the ark and taking two of every species as the world was flooded. There was Moses who followed God’s call to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promise Land. There was Joshua who learned by what Moses had done previously. There was Abraham who would carry his descendants. There was Peter, and there was Paul. But the greatest giant is Jesus Christ who took all of mankind on his shoulders. We learned from all of these giants so that we can continue to pay it forward to the future generations.
As I recall the giants in my life, I am amazed at my list because there have been giants that I have never considered. I think about my grandmother, teachers and professors, church members, colleagues, friends, and the latest giant, my nurse practitioner. But my biggest giant is my mother who has always given me wise counsel and always believed in whatever project or journey I was undertaking. Interestingly, as I look back on those times, I have always counted on my mother to be my cheerleader and sounding board. Oh my!
As a parent, you are the giant that your children unknowingly (and will sometimes deny) depend upon. As matriarch, you are the nurturer that carries the family. As patriarch, you are the provider and leader of the family. As an educator, you care, encourage, and impart academic and worldly knowledge. As a friend, you love, support, and uplift. As a medical professional, you listen, and you heal. As a member of the body, you love, listen, care, counsel, and serve.
To have some say, “We stood on her shoulders.” is one of the greatest tributes to a person’s character. I give many thanks for the giants who have gone before me, for the giants who walk with me, and for the giants who have yet to come. I give thanks that Noah was obedient, that Moses led the journey to the Promise Land, that Abraham was willing to sacrifice, that David was a man after God’s own heart, and that Peter and Paul continued to deliver the Word. I give thanks that a man would bear the sins of the world so that a relationship could be built with the Father. I give thanks that Jesus is the ever-present giant in my life. How about you? Pause and give thought and thanks to the giants in your life.
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