Knowing Your Doctor

 

“Oh, there you are,” my elderly patient said, as she looked up from the book she was reading.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I apologized.

“It’s good to see you,” Ida said.  She seemed to study my appearance for a few seconds.  “You’re wearing light pants today.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear light colored pants before.  You always wear dark colored pants – navy blue or black or something like that.”

I looked down at my khaki slacks.  I certainly had worn this color pants many times in my storied career.  I shrugged.  “I wear this color sometimes,” I told her.

“You’re really growing your hair out too!”  She said severely.  “I guess it looks OK on you…”

I am afraid that I was taken aback a little bit.  I’m nowhere near needing to put my hair up in a man bun.  In fact, I had just had a haircut the week prior.  I felt like a new contestant on the show “Old Eye for the Not-So-Young Guy.”

“I’m not a fashion icon,” I said.  “Hopefully my appearance isn’t too distracting.”

“No, no,” Ida answered.  “I was just noticing differences from the past.

My patients do know me, at least a little bit.  They see me semi-regularly over a period of years.  Obviously, some of them even know how I dress and cut my hair.  This is not the same thing as knowing me.

The Apostle Paul said, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” (Phil. 3:10)  He was speaking of a relationship with Jesus.

Too many people believe that they can get to know Jesus with semi-regular visits.

There is no command that says that Christians have to go to church, read their Bible, or pray.  At the same time, the only way to really get to know someone is to spend time with them.

We cannot know Jesus without a daily investment of time, any more than an older woman can give fashion advice to a doctor she only sees every six months.