Thursday, 24 July 2008
-
God Heals With a Knife - Stop Complaining
by mr maple
The cranky patient sitting in bed glared at our surgical team of residents and students, who were this close to glaring back. She had been admitted to the hospital for a fairly routine operation that should only have taken an hour, but due to complications, ended up lasting more than four. It was the second day after her operation and she was finally feeling well enough to sit up in bed and ask us some rather pointed questions:"Why did you use staples? You didn't tell me I was going to have staples. I don't want staples." I could see our team sighing inwardly. We had a good reason for using staples, but the questions didn't stop there... and I could see the frustration mounting on both side as our team attempted to answer her questions.
"I have pain. Why am I in pain?"
"You just had a major operation. There is always pain from an operation."
"Why can't I get up and walk around? I see other people walking around."
"They didn't have the same operation that you did!"I used to feel more sympathy for patients after having been one myself. But now that clinical rotations kept me awake at 4 in the morning and in the hospital till 7 at night, I'd grown less tolerant of people who were impolite or demanding. I wanted to scream, "Stop being so spoiled! Can't you see that we just worked our butts off trying to make you healthy? It's not like were screwing around here or are trying to hurt you. We're just trying to heal you! GIVE US A BREAK and STOP WHINING and LET US DO OUR JOB."
God rarely speaks to me, but when he does it's with a few words that are never forgotten. For years I have struggled with the question of suffering and pain in this world, but few answers were as good as the thunderous voice in my head that said, "AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?"
How much of the suffering and pain in our lives are a part of the disease process of sin? How much of it is the work of the divine surgeon's knife, cutting and burning and scraping away the dead and festering tissue? How much of our perceived pain is actually part of the good process of healing? How will we show true appreciation and thankfulness to God for all the good work that he does and correct our strange and anemic perceptions of the world? What will it take to let God "just do his job"?
Do you ever feel frustrated about God's healing process? How do you handle it?
-
recommend
- recs 1
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to revelife's Revelife Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in revelife's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (18)
This is SO TRUE!!!!! For me, what I had to realize was that God's heart toward me is always perfectly loving and trustworthy. My complaints were because I didn't really trust that my surgeon was perfectly good. Now that I know that He always loves and cares for me, the surgery is easier to take, though not always pleasant.
I usually cut my wrists and black my eyes so I can fall asleep and die (and be with Jesus).
Be careful about HIPPA violations online, my friend. They may come back to haunt you later when you apply for privileges! Just a friendly reminder.
(Nothing I saw in here reveals too much, though.) I had a patient who was near the end of her life and all she could obsess about was a comb to make her hair pretty in the ICU. Patients will react in many different and sometimes strange ways. We don't always get the appreciation we deserve, but appreciation isn't the reason why we went into medicine.
Do your best and leave the rest up to the patient and God's providence...then you can sleep well (on your non-call nights, of course). =D
On a more serious note, I learned that the only way I could deal with any form of "healing" (be it spiritually, emotionally, physically, or mentally) was to keep company with someone or something. It's a dependency I've never grown out of. So, I bought a cat. Thankfully, she's kept me from suicide, killing one ex girlfriend (though it was a close one), and various other forms of self abuse. Never underestimate the power of a pretty feline.
one day at a time...
Always frustrating, for the most part. How do I deal? Whine like a baby, and cry. Probably not the way it was intended to be taken... but don't worry. God always slaps me in the face into His reality... and then I go OOOOHHH. My bad. I love you. I am the first to admit... I need spiritual maturity. It always feels I'm getting better to find... that nope still have a lot of learning to do.
@Schristian@xanga - this actually has some scientific basis too! well, at least i read one article on it.. if i remember correctly. but basically, patients recover must faster if they have a pet to take care of during post-op or following any major trauma. so yeah, i guess it works also for when you need to suppress the desire to kill your girlfriend.
@haemina@xanga - You are correct. It's also been found that the purring of a cat helps in the treatment of Bi-Polar Disorder (which I have). All "God's" plan right?
Ranting at God is usually okay. He can take it. Look at Job and at the Psalms. I think God would rather have us yelling at him than ignoring him. But we need to be willing to listen to his responses, too.
And I'm very glad God created cats.
@Roadkill_Spatula@xanga - I agree. We need to be honest with God, no matter how ugly our feelings are. But we can't move on unless we then let Him change us. Well said.
I have plenty of issues with His healing process, but He usually debunks them to the point where I go "OOOOOOHHHHH...I love you, Lord!"
I was born prematurely (26 weeks), had multiple strokes, and now, as a result, have cerebral palsy which cannot be cured (by man, at least). I also have hydrocephalus and need shunt revisions every so often (current count is 2 in 6 months).
I tend to scream a lot at God: "If You can cure, why won't You cure me?!" But then I realize that He shows His power by placing me in a more than capable surgeon's hands and using my story to lead others to Himself.
Never mess with the Divine Physician. He knows what He's doing when we don't.
@Schristian@xanga - seriously? maybe i should give cats more credit (i'm a dog person). as for God... well, i guess it's up to you how you want to see it.
@haemina@xanga - I was being facetious. about "God".
@Schristian@xanga - hey you never know. weirder things have been "discovered" :P but judging by most of your comments, maybe i shouldn't take most of them seriously huh?
@haemina@xanga - Depends. It's usually fairly obvious when I'm kidding and when I'm serious.
I think the hardest thing is to recognize that I'm impatient, and God has his own little timeline.. =) So some "wounds" just take a little longer to heal, and sometimes flare back up!
@CrazySwede@xanga - Great testimony! Thanks for sharing.
the frustration is fleeting. as a nursing student, i understand how it feels to be on your side of the healthcare process. we tough it out and do our jobs... =D