Reflections on This Week

Smyrna's New Hospital


I've officially finished my week of preceptorship with Dr.Thompson, the family practicioner. It's been an incredible week, and I couldn't have asked for a better mentor, a doctor who doesn't have a God complex and who actually cares about the well-being of his patients. It's been a week of seeing those random facts and figures I've learned brought to life through actual patients and a reaffirming of my desire to be a family practicioner. I've had the blessing of being able to see a broad range of illnesses and diseases from DiGeorge's Syndrome to tracheomalasia to erlichiosis to the common everyday cold. Though it's going to be a long 6 years, I couldn't have chosen a better career.
One thing that frequently came to my attention during my preceptorship was the number of obese people that came through the office. In fact, I think it would be safe to presume that our patient load would be cut in half if obesity was not the epidemic that it is. How many problems coudl be prevented such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, joint problems, and sleep apnea if obesity weren't an issue? No, this isn't a blog bashing fat people; however, seeing so many cases of obesity brought to light issues within the spiritual realm.
Like many of the patients I saw this week, how many of us are carrying around hundreds of pounds of excess "baggage" in our own lives in the form of unwanted sin? How many of us are obese spiritually because of our lack of self-control and self-discipline or our unwillingness to shed our excess baggage? Not only is the excess fat of a person a problem to the patient, likewise it is a problem for the physician. It's not easy trying to listen to the lungs or heart when you have two extra inches of insulation in between. Nor is it easy to measure a blood pressure when the patient's arm is as big as my leg. In the same way, we want God to work in our lives and clear out any "infection" but we don't give the Great Physician a chance to come close and really find out what's going on because of our own insulation in the form of our sins, our habits, and our stubborn wills. At the clinic, we would try to counsel our patients, setting up dietary modifications, plans of exercise, and rewards but the bottom line was the patient's will to lose the weight. No amount of counseling or plans from the physician could make the patient take that first step to losing the weight. I think it is the same in our lives. Let's face it, sometimes we like the comfort zone we've established in our lives. We like our "habits" and we all have things and reoccuring sins that we struggle with on a daily basis. We'd like to grow in our faith and let the Great Physician draw nearer to us but we are unwilling to take that first step from shedding the unwanted "baggage" we carry so that nothing will hinder us from running the race God has set before us.
Just some thoughts I had from this week's experiences. Pictures should be up as soon as I develop my roll of film and scan them in my computer. Two more days of freedom :o).