On May 12, 1820, Florence Nightingale was born. Her family lived in Florence Italy, her being named after the city. She had an older sister but other than her, she had no other siblings. Her family was well off, but that didn't stop her from taking care of her neighbors and bringing life into their lives.
When she was just a young child, she loved to take care of toys and animals. One of her dolls was always sick and needed to be taken care of, or she would be taking care of neighbor's animals that were sick. It was very obvious that Florence had a gift for healing and a compassionate heart.
She was an incredibly smart girl, and her father saw this right away. Florence got top teaching and was especially good at mathematics and languages. When she was still young, she felt that God was calling her to help human suffering. Nursing was the immediate solution for her because she could serve others and God at the same time. But her family didn't think this was a good idea, because it wasn't womanly enough. Florence was certain, though, that nursing was what God was calling her to do. Afterall, she was trained to be a nurse.
In October 1853, the Lord began to move and place Florence right where she needed to be. The Crimean War had begun. By 1853, no less than 18,000 soldiers were hospitalized. And the hospitals they were put in were not in good condition. They were understaffed, inhumane, and unsanitary.
Sidney Herbert, the Secretary of War, contacted Florence, who was well-known for her kindness, asking her to gather a group of nurses to go to the hospital Scutari, a location in Constantinople. The sight they were met with was horrific. Conditions were gross and Typhoid fever was killing many.
Florence didn't even hesitate when she saw the mess. She was certain that the Lord had brought her there for a reason, so she rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She cleaned up the hospital and spent her every moment taking care of the soldiers. The hurt broken men saw her as their savior from death and called her, “the Angel of Crimea.” Her changes made a huge difference, cutting the hospital deaths by two-thirds!
She remained there for a year and a half, nursing almost non-stop, before the war ended. Florence returned to her home, but she wasn't expecting the adoration she received when she went home. Queen Victoria gave her an engraved brooch and twenty-five-thousand dollars. But she didn't keep the money, and instead used it to found the St. Thomas’ Hospital, which had a nursing school in it.
But unfortunately, she had caught the Crimean Fever, was homebound, and bedridden at 38, and would be for the rest of her life. Florence went through her life thinking of others, not of herself, trying to bring glory to God. She was and still is an amazing example of shining God's light to the lost world. Through her efforts, many people saw God's light in her. This is the best way to share the gospel, and she didn't have to go out of her way to do it. God put her exactly where He meant her to be, in a job she loved, to display His love. On August 13, 1910, Florence Nightingale died at her home in London. She was God's healing angel.
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