doctors

Lessons From an ER

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ER

I never thought I’d be spending my Friday night at the ER. . . again. This time it wasn’t for me. It was for my grandmother (who is much better, by the way). But it got me thinking about life.

Emergency Rooms are for.  . . wait for it. . .  emergencies. Profound, I know. But you never know when an emergency will strike. You never know when your life will be forever altered. So I’m offering up a list of a few things I was reminded of tonight.

1) Life is short. Too short to spend it with bitterness and unforgiveness. It’s still true that holding back forgiveness and harboring bitterness against someone is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. It only affects you. So forgive, especially since you never are guaranteed that you will get the chance tomorrow. I think it’s easier to bite the bullet and forgive someone than live with the regret of not doing it.

2) Don’t pass up and opportunity to let those in your life know how much they mean to you. Don’t assume a person knows you love them. Say the words, “I love you.”

3) Take chances, Go for broke. Step out in faith. And all of those other cliches. Don’t wish you had taken risks. It’s better to try and fail miserably than look back near the end of your life and wonder what would have happened had you tried.

4) Don’t just spend your days living for the next weekend or the next holiday or the next big event in your life. Savor each day and relish each moment in your days. God is in this moment, speaking to you now and you will miss Him if you’re too busy looking ahead.

5) Take care of yourself. Exercise, eat healthier, give up those bad habits, and so forth. Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels. I didn’t say skinny, I said healthy. Your goal is not to look like the cover of a fashion magazine. That’s not realistic. Your goal is to be healthy and happy in your own skin, regardless of the numbers inside your jeans. Oh, and pay attention to what your body is telling you. Don’t neglect warning signs or pain. Take care of yourself.

6) The next time you see an ER nurse or doctor, be sure and thank him or her. They earn their pay. In fact, they probably don’t get paid enough for all the crazy they have to deal with on a daily (or nightly basis).

All of that from six hours in the ER, I think that turned out to be time well spent.

I’m Not Crazy, Am I?

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

I think there’s a common belief among evangelicals that every problem can be solved by praying more and having more faith. Sometimes that’s true, but sometimes it’s not.

Sometimes, you need a little help.

Some people have anxiety that won’t go away, no matter how much praying they do. Some people have depression that all the faith in the world can’t lift.

That’s why there’s doctors and medication. Because sometimes your brain just doesn’t work right. Sometimes you have a chemical imbalance or synapses misfiring, and you need help.

I do think that a lot of issues are spiritual in nature and I really truly believe that God can heal. I also believe God put it in the hearts of men and women to help cure people of physical and mental ailments. God sometimes chooses to cure through human hands.

I don’t like the term “mental illness.” As a pastor said, it gives the impression that your malady is all in your head. But, as he went on to say, a broken mind is just as broken in a very real sense as a broken limb.

As of today, I am taking medication for generalized anxiety disorder (with obsessive thinking that I can’t shut off thrown in). I can’t wait to be myself again, to not live under a constant state of anxiety and to finally be able to listen to myself think for once.

It’s not a shameful thing to admit you need help. Or that you need drugs to function normally (prescribed over-the-counter drugs taken according to the instructions).

It doesn’t mean you’re less of a person or less of a Christian if you struggle with depression or anxiety or are bipolar. In fact, your struggles will give you a testimony to reach people for Christ that most people can’t touch. You will be able to use your pain and sttuggles to help someone else through theirs.

And by the way, normal is just average. Don’t be normal. Be spectacular. Be extraordinary.