July 12, 2011 Blog

Dear Family of Faith,
Do you ever get frustrated by our over-specialized world? I have been battling a terrible cold and sinus infection in the past few days. I had an annual appointment yesterday with my urologist. "Oh, good," I thought. "I can get an antibiotic to help me deal with my problems." I made it to the appointment with the help of over-the-counter medicines, cough drops and Kleenex. When I asked the physician if he would mind writing me a prescription to help me heal, he replied curtly, "That's not my specialty." Then he went on to defend his refusal by saying that it probably wouldn't help anyway. At that moment I wondered whether the Hippocratic Oath ("I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required") had become the Hypocritic Oath! You can't help someone because it's "not your speciality"?? It made me think about my own ministry and how I treat people who come to me for help. I remembered the times people knocked on the door and wanted money for something that was "outside the parameters of our mission." It also made me think about the times that I "didn't want to get involved" helping people because I had other things to do. In our Bible Study tonight we looked at Jesus' words in Matthew 5:42: "Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you." The implication of that verse is that if we have it, and someone needs it, we are give it. I'm going to try to do better about not being too "specialized" to help those in need. Maybe you can, too.