The Message of the Pepper

"Wow, Dad, that's a lot of stuff on your hamburger," Elliot said to me.

I looked up, a bit surprised from the construction site on my plate.  On my bun was a burger, followed by a thick slice of pepper jack cheese, followed by lettuce, two tomato slices, pickles and a mixture of southwest spicy mustard and ketchup.  It was definitely the sort of edifice to make the designers of the pyramids jealous.

"It's almost done," I said.  From a plate I took four slices of jalapeno pepper and placed them on top of my sandwich.  Now, I usually don't put jalapenos on my sandwiches, but my beautiful wife had decided to get a few jalapeno pepper plants for our garden and no one else in my family would eat them.  Being a good steward, I didn't want to see them go to waste.

I placed the top part of the bun on top and looked my creation in the eye.  Then I took a large bite. 

For a moment, everything tasted great with all of the normal tastes mixing around my taste buds and then it was all overwhelmed with a strong flavor of jalapeno.  The capsaicin was kicking in.

I know that there are many peppers that are a lot hotter than jalapenos, but honestly, the whole time I was eating the sandwich all I could taste was the spicy peppers and even an hour later, my tongue was still tingling from the experience.

I thought that next time I might just go a bit lighter on the peppers -- or maybe leave them off entirely.

It made me think about the impact that each one of us has on others.  Obviously there are many different parts of our personalities and character that strike people when we meet them, but often there is something about us that stands out and sticks with people. 

It might be our kindness, generosity, or it could just as easily be our selfishness and unwillingness to listen.  There is one thing that people will carry away from their time with us.

Jesus told His followers "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

This then is the way to let those around know who we are following and to leave an impression that lasts far longer than a spicy pepper does on a protesting tongue.

Another Birthday

"Today is your birthday?"  The lady asked.  She sounded surprised, as though it was unusual for doctors to work on their birthday.  "So what are you doing for it?"

I thought for a bit.  "Well," I said.  "I guess I'm going to go to the nursing home tonight."  I could she see she was taken aback.  "Oh, not to stay," I reassured her.   "I have a couple more years till then.  Our church sings at a nursing home in Lynchburg on some Wednesday evenings."

"That sounds interesting," she said.

"And then I thought for the rest of the day I would try to treat my patients with a lot of compassion.  The way Jesus would treat them," I finished with a flourish.  "But no, I'm not doing anything extra special today otherwise."

Birthdays roll around every year whether we want them to or not.  They are typically days when I hear my children singing Happy Birthday and my Facebook account blows up with Happy Birthday wishes.  They are days too of feeling a bit older and not so much wiser.

To me, though, birthdays feel like a time to take stock of my situation, not necessarily asking the question "What am I doing?"  (Although that is a good question).  But, "How am I doing what I am doing?"

I am taking care of people who are dealing with pain and illness and I have done that for many years.  It is easy over that time to lose a sense of compassion and to become a little cynical about people and their motivations.  Cynical doctors can still get through their days just as easily as non-cynical doctors, but I'm afraid they don't tend to leave their patients with as much hope and joy.

As I launch out into another year, I pray it would be full, not only of taking care of the needs of my patients, but of doing so in a compassionate way.   If I can treat people as Jesus would treat them, I believe I can make a difference -- not because of me but because of His power working in me.

That's my birthday wish for this coming year.

Altered Words

"I just figured out the words to Amazing Grace, Dad," Elliot told me, a little proudly.

"Really, which part were you struggling with?"  I asked, mentally scanning the lines.  Maybe, 'I once was blond but now I see?' was the one.

"I thought for the longest time that it said, 'To save a wrench like me.'  Now I know it's saying the word wretch,"  Elliot said.

I laughed.  "Yes, the word is wretch and not wrench."

My children aren't always good with the words of songs by memory and when they don't know a word, they often substitute something that sounds similar.

I suppose they take after their dad there...

The imagery in the song Amazing Grace stands out.  First, there is a picture of humans without grace -- blind, lost, and wretched.  This is crucial for us to understand so that we can connect with how amazing the grace must be to save us.

Perhaps it is easy to think that it took less grace to save someone like me, because I am a little better person than some others that I know.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

It truly took Amazing Grace and Love Beyond Degree to Save a Wrench Like Me.