Stories of Triumph and Inspiration
Members of Faith share personal experiences that highlight God's love, mercy and guidance.
A tool in God’s hands
Karen Finerty
August 26, 2020
For years as nurse and decades as a hospital administrator, KAREN FINERTY knows that her God-given aptitudes—knowledge, experience, personal intuition—have helped her make better judgments, better decisions. This four-year member of Faith knows that she’s never relying solely on herself, realizing that God is using everything she has been given. Karen thinks of herself as God’s instrument. And she’s also careful to remember that “you can’t be both a tool and the hand that holds it.” (At the end of this piece, read a Finerty-family Vise-Grips® story that illustrates this vital truth!)
“I tend not to be a Nervous Nellie.” That’s one way she describes herself. If you’ve been around this selfless woman, you can see how she presents herself as confident and calm in most situations—an appealing demeanor that has characterized this Oakbrook Terrace resident for a good share of her life.
When asked about the source of that self-assurance, Finerty is quick to note that this personal trait comes from her relationship with God. “This is NOT a Karen-thing; it’s a God-thing,” she notes. “I pray for wisdom, and know that my cognitive and relationship skills come from God.”
Her world view has been sharpened through a variety of trials. As a young mother, she dealt with her husband’s cancer for eight years. At his death, she became the sole parent of her daughter Anna, now a high school senior. But during those long years, Karen recalls not being worried, frequently facing experiences with the strong sense that she was in God’s hands—something that she looks back on as “beyond words” but still very real.
When you’re in her presence, you sense a degree of serenity—a calming peace—inside whatever experiences might come her way, perhaps connected to in-God’s-hands assurances that are at her core.
Finerty’s strong convictions come into her life as “messages”—her way of describing almost-tangible invitations, reminders or directions that are God-sent. She relates how, at various moments in her daily routine—e.g, while driving—she will see something that triggers thoughts and prayers. “They’re very clear, almost like a dialogue with God,” she explains. “I sometimes pray for God’s messages. Sometimes they don’t come right away. But when they do appear, these messages bring me peace that sustains me in many situations.” These prayer-answers help her set aside anxiety and fear—which might otherwise block the blessings of confidence and calm.
Finerty’s lifework—a carefully crafted combination of nursing and business administration—has put her convictions and self-reliance to the test. During her recently completed employment in a regional hospital, she’s faced the stress that comes when a healthcare provider gives away its Northstar values in the face of economic pressures. Her employer’s unbalanced shift toward profit-making had deprived Karen of her strong sense of mission, her original purpose for choosing this profession.
Thankful for God’s providence, though, she’ll soon begin a new part of her career. She will take up a position that improves overarching processes at a regional medical facility devoted to children’s health—work that will take full advantage of her considerable talents and experiences. Once again, Karen will put into practice a clear-eyed view of her place in God’s work in the world.
She thinks of this change as an opportunity to live out her mission: “To make direct caregivers’ work more predictable, easier.” In that role, Karen wants to work with each individual to refine their skills, processes and perspectives so that they can make better, more meaningful decisions for patients.
Karen tells a Vise-Grips® story that adds context to the knowledge that her calm comes from God. Awhile ago, when at a movie theater with her sister, she needed to open the water bottle she had purchased from the snack bar. The lid was impossible to remove, so Karen started back to trade this bottle for one that might be easier to open. On the way, Karen sensed one of her God-messages—“You have everything you need.” Immediately, she remembered that, in the back pocket of her jeans, she was still carrying the small Vise-Grips® she had inherited from her father! You guessed it: In her hands, this tool solved her problem—just as she’s a tool in God’s hands!
When these COVID-19 times have passed, ask Karen Finerty about what you’ve read here. Start your chat with “Karen, tell me more about Vise-Grips®.” As the conversation continues, you might just understand how you, too, might be a message-receiving tool in God’s service.
Karen Finerty
August 26, 2020
For years as nurse and decades as a hospital administrator, KAREN FINERTY knows that her God-given aptitudes—knowledge, experience, personal intuition—have helped her make better judgments, better decisions. This four-year member of Faith knows that she’s never relying solely on herself, realizing that God is using everything she has been given. Karen thinks of herself as God’s instrument. And she’s also careful to remember that “you can’t be both a tool and the hand that holds it.” (At the end of this piece, read a Finerty-family Vise-Grips® story that illustrates this vital truth!)
“I tend not to be a Nervous Nellie.” That’s one way she describes herself. If you’ve been around this selfless woman, you can see how she presents herself as confident and calm in most situations—an appealing demeanor that has characterized this Oakbrook Terrace resident for a good share of her life.
When asked about the source of that self-assurance, Finerty is quick to note that this personal trait comes from her relationship with God. “This is NOT a Karen-thing; it’s a God-thing,” she notes. “I pray for wisdom, and know that my cognitive and relationship skills come from God.”
Her world view has been sharpened through a variety of trials. As a young mother, she dealt with her husband’s cancer for eight years. At his death, she became the sole parent of her daughter Anna, now a high school senior. But during those long years, Karen recalls not being worried, frequently facing experiences with the strong sense that she was in God’s hands—something that she looks back on as “beyond words” but still very real.
When you’re in her presence, you sense a degree of serenity—a calming peace—inside whatever experiences might come her way, perhaps connected to in-God’s-hands assurances that are at her core.
Finerty’s strong convictions come into her life as “messages”—her way of describing almost-tangible invitations, reminders or directions that are God-sent. She relates how, at various moments in her daily routine—e.g, while driving—she will see something that triggers thoughts and prayers. “They’re very clear, almost like a dialogue with God,” she explains. “I sometimes pray for God’s messages. Sometimes they don’t come right away. But when they do appear, these messages bring me peace that sustains me in many situations.” These prayer-answers help her set aside anxiety and fear—which might otherwise block the blessings of confidence and calm.
Finerty’s lifework—a carefully crafted combination of nursing and business administration—has put her convictions and self-reliance to the test. During her recently completed employment in a regional hospital, she’s faced the stress that comes when a healthcare provider gives away its Northstar values in the face of economic pressures. Her employer’s unbalanced shift toward profit-making had deprived Karen of her strong sense of mission, her original purpose for choosing this profession.
Thankful for God’s providence, though, she’ll soon begin a new part of her career. She will take up a position that improves overarching processes at a regional medical facility devoted to children’s health—work that will take full advantage of her considerable talents and experiences. Once again, Karen will put into practice a clear-eyed view of her place in God’s work in the world.
She thinks of this change as an opportunity to live out her mission: “To make direct caregivers’ work more predictable, easier.” In that role, Karen wants to work with each individual to refine their skills, processes and perspectives so that they can make better, more meaningful decisions for patients.
Karen tells a Vise-Grips® story that adds context to the knowledge that her calm comes from God. Awhile ago, when at a movie theater with her sister, she needed to open the water bottle she had purchased from the snack bar. The lid was impossible to remove, so Karen started back to trade this bottle for one that might be easier to open. On the way, Karen sensed one of her God-messages—“You have everything you need.” Immediately, she remembered that, in the back pocket of her jeans, she was still carrying the small Vise-Grips® she had inherited from her father! You guessed it: In her hands, this tool solved her problem—just as she’s a tool in God’s hands!
When these COVID-19 times have passed, ask Karen Finerty about what you’ve read here. Start your chat with “Karen, tell me more about Vise-Grips®.” As the conversation continues, you might just understand how you, too, might be a message-receiving tool in God’s service.