Good News, Bad News, and Hope

There are a lot of doctor jokes out there.  Many of the ones I have heard are "good news - bad news" jokes.

A doctor comes out to his patient after surgery and tells him:  "I have some good news and bad news."

"What's the bad news, Doc?"

"We cut off the wrong leg in surgery."

"That's terrible.  What's the good news?"

"It looks like your other leg is getting better."

These jokes always bother me a little because of the almost gleeful way in which doctors dispense the most depressing information.  Of course, they are just jokes, but I know how hard it is to share bad test results and how hard I work in these moments not to steal hope away.

It is in these dark-as-midnight moments that people need a little light.  It is never a joke that lifts their spirits, for jokes lose their funniness in these events, but hope.  Somehow, I have to convey that I will not give up and that I will do whatever I can to help them through this time.

Most of all, I turn to prayer.

For, even when medical science holds little hope and when every moment feels like another good bye, there is One who offers light in the darkness, One who promises that we will not have to cross Jordan alone, if we are His.

When I have only bad news and worse news to impart, Jesus holds out hope.  That's just what this dark world needs most.

 

What Goes on Vacation?

We got back from vacation a couple of weeks ago.  Over time, I have discovered that vacations are fun and if not totally stress-free, certainly they lack the normal every day stresses I experience at home.

I leave my pager behind.  I don't answer cell phone calls from people I don't want to talk to.  I leave my computer at home.  I sleep in till 5:45 am.

When I am on vacation, I am no longer a doctor, I am just me.

At the same time, there are certain things I don't (can't) take a vacation from.  I am a father and a husband.  I can't, in the middle of hiking to Laurel Falls, decide I am going to leave my kids to figure things out on their own.  Even as we are leaving for Cade's Cove, I need to remember to let my wife know that I love her.

Being a dad is awesome, but it does involve a lot of responsibility.

More importantly, I do not take a vacation from my relationship with Christ.  I speak with Him and listen to Him every day, just as I would at home.

It seems to me that the things that are truly a part of who you are will never be left behind when you leave your home.  They are qualities and actions that you demonstrate wherever you are and whoever you might be with.

Whether I am in the Smokies, or in Paoli, or at the Shaker Village in Kentucky, my goals are the same.  I would be a good dad, a loving husband, and most of all, I would please my Savior, Jesus Christ.