Jesus Heals
I went to a medical appointment this morning. I find myself dreading the weird aspects of every one I go to. For example, even if the front desk person has seen me before and I see the recognition on their face, inevitably (probably because they are required by their protocol) they ask me for my date of birth. I assume this question being asked, along with your name, reduces the possibility of having two people with the same name at the same time.
For me, the irritation is that they ask this question the same way a police officer asks for your driver’s license. It is a demand. Not only that but you get asked by the front desk person, the person who takes you back to the room (and weighs you, another horror) and anytime a procedure is done (like the nurse coming in to give you a flu shot). It seems redundant after that initial verification that you are who they think you are.
This morning, the young lady who brought me to my room and took my vitals had a lanyard pin with her employee ID card and that pin had “Jesus Heals” on it. Because Patrick preached a week or so ago with part of his message on evangelism to “just do it,” I asked her why she picked that as her lanyard pin.
She explained she loved the Lord and she wanted to share her love of Jesus with the world. She went on to add that she prayed God would use her and her pin to share comfort and hope to the patients she interacted with. She did all this with the biggest smile on her face and a glow that I can only attribute to the Holy Spirit working on and through her.
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” - Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:12-17
I learned two lessons this morning. The first one is a reminder that I can choose to focus on those things that irritate me or I can choose to focus on serving God and my fellow person. The second lesson is that sharing the grace of God as my Lord and Savior is not the great suggestion but the great commission.
The first lesson is God teaching me humility and working on my pride. The second lesson is that you can share the good news in many ways. A pin or a hat is a way to stimulate a conversation and meet the person where they are.
Praise God for letting me learn.
