Preventive Medicine
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Recently I went to visit one of my parishioners in the hospital. The protocol for hospital visitation has evolved quite a bit over the years. There was a time when I could call and ask about the condition of a patient who was part of my congregation and I would get a full report from the nurse on duty. With the new privacy legislation that is in place that simply does not happen anymore. I'm ok with that because I know there are people out there who have ulterior motives and can harm those who are unsuspecting.
After signing in at the clergy room and taking the stairs to the second floor, I went down the hall and approached Bob's room. Upon arriving I could see that there was a notice on the door with a picture of a stop sign on it. I read the instructions carefully to make sure I was even allowed to go into his room. There were clear instructions to wear a full-length gown, disposable gloves, and a surgical mask. Was Bob afflicted with polio, typhus, or bubonic plague? No, of course not! These are simply the preventative measures being exercised in healthcare circles these days in an attempt to stop the spread of germs. During my visit with Bob I learned that I could be a carrier if he indeed had any infection that could be spread. I would then take it from his room, back to my family, and it would quickly travel from there. I do observe all the measures that are set out, including washing my hands before and after such visits. It is all part of preventive medicine.
There is preventive medicine in the spiritual realm, too. It's called prayer. I don't know about you, but I tend to be a person of impulse. That is, I like to take action quickly and get things done. Sometimes that is a good thing, but not always. No, there are definitely times when thinking things over and weighing the options is a safer bet. God wants to direct the course of our lives for His good, but He can't do that if we are running ahead of Him all the time. I find that when I take the time to pray about an issue, before simply reacting, I get better results and I'm less stressed about it. This principle of praying first can also be described as "waiting on the Lord." I like what it says in Isaiah 40:31: "Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."
Do you have any important decisions or meetings coming up, or an issue that needs a clear answer? Why not practice a little preventive medicine and pray about things first. You could end up saving yourself a whole lot of trouble!
