privacy

5/1/12  More than at any other time in my ministry, I am dealing with folks who don't want their situation in life to be shared with anyone else.  They value their privacy.  I have church members in the hospital for surgery, in ICU, for tests, etc.  Of course, the government passed the HIPAA law several years ago, where the H stands for Health, and the I for information, and the P for privacy.  Everyone is entitled to protect their individual health information and to share with others only what they want.  As a pastor what I find difficult is learning about these situations long after the fact and feeling distant from my congregants.  When does privacy become isolation?  I believe that the community of faith has a lot of healing to share through their prayers, their visits, their cards, their sharing of scripture and songs, etc.  The desire for privacy cuts folks off from the very thing they need most, the love of others.  Yes, I know that information has not always been used for prayerful purposes and that one's situation can become nothing more than gossip.  I understand that  privacy has its place.  But community also has its place.

Love,
Lynn