Surely you put your trust in the Lord?
I am a good doctor, I take good care of my patients.
I am a good-
“Hi doctor XXX, 23 patients today”
my heart sank.
Busy clinic!
Breathe! I am a good doctor, I repeated my mantra.
I OWN my patients-
I educate them to take CHARGE of their lives-
I make FULL use of the knowledge I’ve been accumulating-
Busy clinic!
I’ll see them fast and I’ll see them well. I’ve got my algorithms already!
They won’t scold me if I don’t make them wait-
The door opens revealing a pleasant 90 year old lady with osteoporosis, notes say she’s here for followup.
“Hi, how are you Mrs XXX?” I said as chirpily as I could, and with as wide a smile I could muster.
“I’m ok.” She replied. I am relieved at once. Less issues to sort out.
“You are catholic?” she asked, pointing at the crucifix on my necklace.
I am taken aback by the suddenness of the question.
“Yes”, I replied, embarrassed, knowing what I was doing would be inadequate for a “Catholic doctor”.
I shuddered to think what she would say next.
“As a catholic doctor,” she began, echoing my thoughts, “you must surely put your trust in the Lord?”
Huh??!!
This totally unexpected phrase pierced right through my heart and tears welled up instantly.
She was NOT asking me if I put my trust in the Lord, but said, SURELY I put my trust in the Lord.
Is this a message from God?
Why would anyone SUDDENLY say such a thing?
The catholic doctor in me smiled, and turned towards the computer to type out her prescription, hoping my eyes would be dry by the time I finish.
“As a catholic patient,” she continued, “I always put my trust in the Lord. I say, Lord, heal me.”
I smiled, and continued the consult as businesslike as I could, for I just could not risk allowing those unsettling tears to form again.
Dr’s Blog is a feature of the CMG web site that aims to encourage interaction between Guild members. We hope to foster a spirit of community through the sharing of thoughts and personal experirences. The opinions expressed in these blogs are entirely those of the contributors and not of the Catholic Medical Guild of Singapore.