Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
Saturday, November 11 2006 @ 09:50 PM PST
I was making my way out of a restaurant when I looked up in time to see a man hobbling toward me on crutches, his wife and kids in tow. He maneuvered quite skillfully despite his broken leg but it wasn't his condition that really caught my eye but rather his jet black T-shirt that read in bold white letters, "Trust me. I'm a doctor." For many, this sort of statement is humorous but downright depressing for others. One would not need to look far to find a person who would gladly recount a negative experience involving either a health insurance fiasco, an insensitive physician or incompetent hospital staff. Likewise, it would not be difficult to find another person who would sing praises for his doctor or hospital! Either way, whether the experience was positive or negative - trust played the most significant role in the final outcome. Dr. Brad Cole knows first-hand how essential trust is, not just in a doctor/patient role but even more in the God/human relationship. He draws from his own recent experience in the following article. Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the patient. He writes:
Our Heavenly Physician
I first met Sam in the emergency room. A burly 48-year-old construction worker, Sam had complained to his wife about double vision for several months. “You’re cute babe and now I get to see two of you”, he joked. But on this evening as he drove home on a narrow two lane freeway, he swerved into a ditch when he couldn’t tell which of the two cars coming at him to avoid.
“He’s got a broken clavicle and some rib fractures, but what about the double vision?” the emergency room doctor asked. I walked into Sam’s room and introduced myself, “Hi Sam, I’m Dr. Cole from Neurology.” He rolled his eyes and murmured, “OK, here we go.” With great resistance and much coaxing on my part, he finally opened up about the double vision and also admitted to me that within the last week he was also experiencing swallowing problems and some shortness of breath.
It didn’t take long to confirm that Sam had Myasthenia Gravis, a serious yet treatable neurological condition that interferes with the connection between the nerves and the muscles. I shared with Sam the good news that I would be able to help him and that I expected him to improve. But, to my surprise, he stood up and said, “Doctor, I don’t mean to disrespect you, and I’m sorry to waste your time, but I don’t trust doctors – never have.” He went on to describe how his mother and uncle had both died as a result of “incompetence” at the hands of physicians.
As he stood up to leave, I told Sam that untreated his breathing muscles could weaken significantly. “Sam, I realize that you have had a bad experience with doctors, but this is very serious. If you trust me, I can help you and you will get better. But I am very concerned that these symptoms will get much worse if you leave right now.” He shrugged and said, “I’ll think about it doc.” I watched helplessly as he walked away without even giving me a chance to fully explain the seriousness of the situation.
Fortunately, this was not my last encounter with Sam, and the experiences I would have with him over the next several months would parallel so closely the difficulties God, our Heavenly Physician, has so often had in reaching us – his sick and dying children – with the healing message of truth.
Trust
Trust is the most important aspect of the patient-physician relationship. Sam’s deep distrust of physicians was based on a distortion of the reality. Based on 2 previous negative encounters with physicians, he had made the assumption that I was incompetent – even dangerous. This false assumption prevented the development of any trust, and I was therefore unable to do anything for him.
In a similar manner, we often are unable to place our trust in God based purely on misperception. God is often falsely portrayed by those who claim to represent him. “The LORD says, ‘Let no one accuse the people or reprimand them – my complaint is against you priests. Night and day you blunder on, and the prophets do no better than you… My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests” (Hosea 4:4-6, NIV).
Job’s friend Elihu said of God, “I won’t ask to speak with God; why should I give him a chance to destroy me? God’s power is so great that we cannot come near him.” (Job 37:20,23 – GN). Are these words true? Any description of God that leaves the impression that he is different in character than Jesus – the clearest revelation of God’s character – has the effect of separating us from him. As a result, trust never develops and we never enter into a healing relationship with God.
And, when we are separated from God and distrustful of him, we are like Sam in the emergency room. The circumstances of life at times may force us to have such an encounter with God, but we will flee the scene just as quickly as Sam did.
A few weeks later I received another call from the emergency room. Sam was experiencing more shortness of breath and swallowing problems and had developed pneumonia as a result of his inability to swallow. I told the emergency room doctor, “Make sure he gets admitted. Do whatever you can to keep him in the hospital.” A short time later I arrived, only to discover that he had once again walked out, refusing the strong recommendation of the emergency room doctor. Based on the description to me of how short of breath he was, and of the great difficulty he had in swallowing, it was clear to me that this was now at a critical stage and that without treatment, Sam would likely not survive. I later learned that Sam went home, barely able to walk because of the extreme shortness of breath, and told his wife that he just wished to die.
Natural consequences
All of the symptoms that Sam was experiencing were the natural consequence of his disease for which he had refused treatment. I did not, out of righteous indignation at his refusal to follow my plan of treatment, need to drive to Sam’s home for the purpose of worsening his condition, just as a dentist does not need to put cavities in a patient’s mouth as a penalty for not brushing.
Our refusal to trust in God and his plan for healing also results in harmful natural consequence, not penalties imposed. Ever since Eve ate the fruit, the human race has been spiritually sick – infected with rebellion, selfishness, and a distrust of our Creator. It is often assumed that God’s words of warning to Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit had the essential meaning, “eat that fruit and I’ll have to kill you.” Is that true, or was God rather warning the first humans of the dire natural consequences of distrust and rebellion?
And, ever since their sin in the garden, we have been running away from a God who is not angry with us. Jesus, God in the flesh, lamented the fact that we have time again rejected his efforts to reveal his great love for us and his plan for restoration. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!” (Matthew 23:37).
What does God do with his children who will not let him put his arms around them? Doctors don’t kill their patients, and God does not kill his spiritually dying children. Sin pays the wage, not God.
Sam would not speak with me when I called him at home, so I spoke with his wife. She cried into the phone, “He is so stubborn. I just don’t know what to do.” In the course of the conversation, she mentioned that I was also treating their daughter-in-law, Jolene, for migraine headaches. I suggested that it might be helpful for Jolene to contact Sam and bring him to my office. She agreed to this, and, to my surprise, Sam came along.
He looked terrible. His speech was very slurred and he was noticeable short of breath and needed a wheelchair to make it from Jolene’s car to the waiting room. Once in my office, Jolene described to Sam that she used to have about 8 migraine headaches per month and that now with the treatment plan I had recommended they were very infrequent and her quality of life was so much better. “I’ve known Dr. Cole for over a year, and you can trust him Dad. He’s helped me so much.” Finally, Sam motioned with his hand, “OK doc. I guess you’re not such a bad guy after all. I’m sorry for being such a jerk. Do what you’ve got to do.”
The purpose of the church
I could not reach Sam without his daughter-in-law who made a convincing case that I was really out for his best good. Sam trusted his daughter-in-law, and this led him to also put his trust in me.
Likewise, Jesus came to reveal the character of God that we may trust him. This was his mission: “I spelled out your character in detail to the men and women you gave me” (John 17:6 – The Message). Jesus was again and again was reinforcing the idea that if you could trust him, you could also trust God. “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father…The Father and I are one…There is no need for me to plead with the Father for you, for the Father loves you himself.” Do we trust Jesus? Then we should trust the Father.
If Jesus’ mission was to reveal the truth about God and that he can be trusted, should this not be the mission of the church as well? This message about the gracious character of God is the great message needed in the world today in order to restore trust between the Heavenly Physician and his sick and dying children:
“It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy and truth…The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is the revelation of His character of love.”
I sent Sam from my office by ambulance and to the hospital. By the next day, he was unable to breathe on his own and needed to be placed on a respirator. Had he not been admitted he likely would have died at home. But, with intensive treatment he began to recover and within a few months all of his symptoms had greatly improved, almost back to normal. At my last visit with Sam he said, “I guess my daughter-in-law was right about you doc. Thanks.” His trust in physicians at least partially restored, I suggested, “Now Sam, maybe it’s time you allow us to treat your high blood pressure and your high cholesterol.”
Healing
Sam’s physical condition required healing. Had I sent him home rather than to the hospital with the words, “don’t worry Sam, I forgive you for not trusting me”, what would have been accomplished? While its true that my forgiving attitude to Sam was helpful in establishing trust, just as the kindness of God leads us to him (Romans 2:4), Sam needed to be healed, not pardoned. At the cross, Jesus forgave those who so cruelly put him to death, but does this does not mean that all those forgiven at the foot of the cross will be saved. Only if they responded to this revealed kindness of God – like the thief on the cross – and were won to love and trust him.
Patients come to doctors to be made better physically. We come to our Heavenly Physician to be made well spiritually – in the mind. “Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin!…Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.” (Psalm 51). If we keep our appointments with God, trust his advice, and follow his plan of treatment, we begin to experience healing and restoration.
What if we refuse to trust in God and never begin to experience the beauty of his true character? Does God force the remedy on us, or does he even respect our freedom and individuality even as we foolishly turn away from him? How sad God must say these words: “Your wounds are incurable, your injuries cannot be healed. There is no one to take care of you, no remedy for your sores, no hope of healing for you.” (Jeremiah 30:12:13 – GN). “Very well, then, I will give you freedom: the freedom to die…” (Jeremiah 34:17 – GN)
The world is full of people who are dying spiritually because they do not know the truth about God and they do not trust him. God cries over his dying children, “How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you?” (Hosea 11:8 – GN). Our mission as Christians is to spread the Good News that God is gracious, kind, and just like Jesus in character. He can be trusted! And, like a great Heavenly Physician, if we put our trust in him, he can absolutely heal the damage done by sin and rebellion.
I first met Sam in the emergency room. A burly 48-year-old construction worker, Sam had complained to his wife about double vision for several months. “You’re cute babe and now I get to see two of you”, he joked. But on this evening as he drove home on a narrow two lane freeway, he swerved into a ditch when he couldn’t tell which of the two cars coming at him to avoid.
“He’s got a broken clavicle and some rib fractures, but what about the double vision?” the emergency room doctor asked. I walked into Sam’s room and introduced myself, “Hi Sam, I’m Dr. Cole from Neurology.” He rolled his eyes and murmured, “OK, here we go.” With great resistance and much coaxing on my part, he finally opened up about the double vision and also admitted to me that within the last week he was also experiencing swallowing problems and some shortness of breath.
It didn’t take long to confirm that Sam had Myasthenia Gravis, a serious yet treatable neurological condition that interferes with the connection between the nerves and the muscles. I shared with Sam the good news that I would be able to help him and that I expected him to improve. But, to my surprise, he stood up and said, “Doctor, I don’t mean to disrespect you, and I’m sorry to waste your time, but I don’t trust doctors – never have.” He went on to describe how his mother and uncle had both died as a result of “incompetence” at the hands of physicians.
As he stood up to leave, I told Sam that untreated his breathing muscles could weaken significantly. “Sam, I realize that you have had a bad experience with doctors, but this is very serious. If you trust me, I can help you and you will get better. But I am very concerned that these symptoms will get much worse if you leave right now.” He shrugged and said, “I’ll think about it doc.” I watched helplessly as he walked away without even giving me a chance to fully explain the seriousness of the situation.
Fortunately, this was not my last encounter with Sam, and the experiences I would have with him over the next several months would parallel so closely the difficulties God, our Heavenly Physician, has so often had in reaching us – his sick and dying children – with the healing message of truth.
Trust
Trust is the most important aspect of the patient-physician relationship. Sam’s deep distrust of physicians was based on a distortion of the reality. Based on 2 previous negative encounters with physicians, he had made the assumption that I was incompetent – even dangerous. This false assumption prevented the development of any trust, and I was therefore unable to do anything for him.
In a similar manner, we often are unable to place our trust in God based purely on misperception. God is often falsely portrayed by those who claim to represent him. “The LORD says, ‘Let no one accuse the people or reprimand them – my complaint is against you priests. Night and day you blunder on, and the prophets do no better than you… My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests” (Hosea 4:4-6, NIV).
Job’s friend Elihu said of God, “I won’t ask to speak with God; why should I give him a chance to destroy me? God’s power is so great that we cannot come near him.” (Job 37:20,23 – GN). Are these words true? Any description of God that leaves the impression that he is different in character than Jesus – the clearest revelation of God’s character – has the effect of separating us from him. As a result, trust never develops and we never enter into a healing relationship with God.
And, when we are separated from God and distrustful of him, we are like Sam in the emergency room. The circumstances of life at times may force us to have such an encounter with God, but we will flee the scene just as quickly as Sam did.
A few weeks later I received another call from the emergency room. Sam was experiencing more shortness of breath and swallowing problems and had developed pneumonia as a result of his inability to swallow. I told the emergency room doctor, “Make sure he gets admitted. Do whatever you can to keep him in the hospital.” A short time later I arrived, only to discover that he had once again walked out, refusing the strong recommendation of the emergency room doctor. Based on the description to me of how short of breath he was, and of the great difficulty he had in swallowing, it was clear to me that this was now at a critical stage and that without treatment, Sam would likely not survive. I later learned that Sam went home, barely able to walk because of the extreme shortness of breath, and told his wife that he just wished to die.
Natural consequences
All of the symptoms that Sam was experiencing were the natural consequence of his disease for which he had refused treatment. I did not, out of righteous indignation at his refusal to follow my plan of treatment, need to drive to Sam’s home for the purpose of worsening his condition, just as a dentist does not need to put cavities in a patient’s mouth as a penalty for not brushing.
Our refusal to trust in God and his plan for healing also results in harmful natural consequence, not penalties imposed. Ever since Eve ate the fruit, the human race has been spiritually sick – infected with rebellion, selfishness, and a distrust of our Creator. It is often assumed that God’s words of warning to Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit had the essential meaning, “eat that fruit and I’ll have to kill you.” Is that true, or was God rather warning the first humans of the dire natural consequences of distrust and rebellion?
And, ever since their sin in the garden, we have been running away from a God who is not angry with us. Jesus, God in the flesh, lamented the fact that we have time again rejected his efforts to reveal his great love for us and his plan for restoration. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!” (Matthew 23:37).
What does God do with his children who will not let him put his arms around them? Doctors don’t kill their patients, and God does not kill his spiritually dying children. Sin pays the wage, not God.
Sam would not speak with me when I called him at home, so I spoke with his wife. She cried into the phone, “He is so stubborn. I just don’t know what to do.” In the course of the conversation, she mentioned that I was also treating their daughter-in-law, Jolene, for migraine headaches. I suggested that it might be helpful for Jolene to contact Sam and bring him to my office. She agreed to this, and, to my surprise, Sam came along.
He looked terrible. His speech was very slurred and he was noticeable short of breath and needed a wheelchair to make it from Jolene’s car to the waiting room. Once in my office, Jolene described to Sam that she used to have about 8 migraine headaches per month and that now with the treatment plan I had recommended they were very infrequent and her quality of life was so much better. “I’ve known Dr. Cole for over a year, and you can trust him Dad. He’s helped me so much.” Finally, Sam motioned with his hand, “OK doc. I guess you’re not such a bad guy after all. I’m sorry for being such a jerk. Do what you’ve got to do.”
The purpose of the church
I could not reach Sam without his daughter-in-law who made a convincing case that I was really out for his best good. Sam trusted his daughter-in-law, and this led him to also put his trust in me.
Likewise, Jesus came to reveal the character of God that we may trust him. This was his mission: “I spelled out your character in detail to the men and women you gave me” (John 17:6 – The Message). Jesus was again and again was reinforcing the idea that if you could trust him, you could also trust God. “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father…The Father and I are one…There is no need for me to plead with the Father for you, for the Father loves you himself.” Do we trust Jesus? Then we should trust the Father.
If Jesus’ mission was to reveal the truth about God and that he can be trusted, should this not be the mission of the church as well? This message about the gracious character of God is the great message needed in the world today in order to restore trust between the Heavenly Physician and his sick and dying children:
“It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy and truth…The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is the revelation of His character of love.”
I sent Sam from my office by ambulance and to the hospital. By the next day, he was unable to breathe on his own and needed to be placed on a respirator. Had he not been admitted he likely would have died at home. But, with intensive treatment he began to recover and within a few months all of his symptoms had greatly improved, almost back to normal. At my last visit with Sam he said, “I guess my daughter-in-law was right about you doc. Thanks.” His trust in physicians at least partially restored, I suggested, “Now Sam, maybe it’s time you allow us to treat your high blood pressure and your high cholesterol.”
Healing
Sam’s physical condition required healing. Had I sent him home rather than to the hospital with the words, “don’t worry Sam, I forgive you for not trusting me”, what would have been accomplished? While its true that my forgiving attitude to Sam was helpful in establishing trust, just as the kindness of God leads us to him (Romans 2:4), Sam needed to be healed, not pardoned. At the cross, Jesus forgave those who so cruelly put him to death, but does this does not mean that all those forgiven at the foot of the cross will be saved. Only if they responded to this revealed kindness of God – like the thief on the cross – and were won to love and trust him.
Patients come to doctors to be made better physically. We come to our Heavenly Physician to be made well spiritually – in the mind. “Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin!…Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.” (Psalm 51). If we keep our appointments with God, trust his advice, and follow his plan of treatment, we begin to experience healing and restoration.
What if we refuse to trust in God and never begin to experience the beauty of his true character? Does God force the remedy on us, or does he even respect our freedom and individuality even as we foolishly turn away from him? How sad God must say these words: “Your wounds are incurable, your injuries cannot be healed. There is no one to take care of you, no remedy for your sores, no hope of healing for you.” (Jeremiah 30:12:13 – GN). “Very well, then, I will give you freedom: the freedom to die…” (Jeremiah 34:17 – GN)
The world is full of people who are dying spiritually because they do not know the truth about God and they do not trust him. God cries over his dying children, “How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you?” (Hosea 11:8 – GN). Our mission as Christians is to spread the Good News that God is gracious, kind, and just like Jesus in character. He can be trusted! And, like a great Heavenly Physician, if we put our trust in him, he can absolutely heal the damage done by sin and rebellion.
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