Huge, succulent grapes. Asian pears the size of grapefruits. Melons with delicate yet distinctive fragrances wafting in the air. Perfectly ripe papayas with deep orange flesh. Juice oranges with paper-thin rind. Crisp, sweet jujubes the size of hen's eggs. Strange, exotic looking dragonfruit. Wax apples (they're not apples and there's no wax, and I've never seen one in the United States), guava...I was in a fruit-lover's heaven, being virtually paralyzed by the immense choices at a large fruit market in Taiwan. I happened to pass by the market a couple of winters ago while visiting my mother in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Since I do not travel there much, I wanted to buy some of the local offerings that are rare in my present home near Los Angeles, California. I picked several large jujubes, a few wax apples (not too many, as they were kind of expensive), a large dragonfruit, some of the local orange varieties, and a small papaya. I could get more, but the collection was already feeling a bit heavy, and my mother's apartment was at least a ten-minute walk away. It was time to complete the purchase.
As I brought the basket of fruit to the cash register, a cluster of odd looking artichoke-like lumps caught my eye. Known locally as "Buddha head" fruit (or custard apple in English), they are about the size, shape, and color of large green avocados, with hard, coarse, paneled rind that resembles crocodile skin or a pangolin's plated armor. I remembered eating them years ago, and recalled that they were really tasty. I picked one up to inspect it, and was instantly disappointed by its hard texture. They weren't edible.
At least not right away.
The man at the register told me that the Buddha heads were not ripe yet, but they were on sale, and that they would ripen in about two to three days if they were wrapped in newspaper and placed in a warm place, say, near the refrigerator vent or behind the computer monitor. I was a bit skeptical that something as hard as a hand grenade would actually ripen that quickly, but since I was planning to stay a few more days in Taiwan, I took a chance and brought home two of the Buddha heads.
I spent the next couple of days enjoying as much fruit as my intestines would allow, and before long, I was down to the last couple of oranges and wax apples, and the two Buddha heads that I left behind the television. I removed one of the Buddha heads, and was immediately greeted with the intense aroma of ripe fruit. I pushed one of the armor-like plates on the surface, and noted that it collapsed into the body of the fruit with very little pressure. I peeled the loosened plate with the attached fruit, revealing creamy, succulent, sweet flesh. The entire fruit was reduced within minutes to a pile of peel and seed. The second fruit experienced the same fate the next day. They were delicious, just like I remembered.
Like the Buddha head fruits, Christians also need ripening before the fruit of our conversion releases its sweet aroma. Unbelievers tend to accuse Christians of being hypocrites because we often fail to demonstrate the love of Christ, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc., that the world expects of us. Instead of sweetness and fragrance, we come across as being hard, cold and bitter, because we still struggle with our old, sinful nature. Thankfully, we are promised that if we have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we will be ripened into good fruit.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)
May each day in our lives be a day of ripening that leads us to become a sweet aroma before the Lord, in His time.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Fanatic Runner
There are generally two kinds of rookie marathon runners. Many are of the "one and done" variety - once they cross the finish line (in various states of brain and muscle damage), they happily check "finishing a marathon" off their bucket lists, wear their finisher medals to school and/or work for the next month, and are unlikely to ever tackle the 26.21875 mile (or 42.195 km) distance again without wheels.
I belonged to the other group. After I completed the City of Los Angeles Marathon in 2004, finishing barely upright and a shade under 6 hours, I was bitten by the running bug, and running literally consumed me for the next several years. I went to bed wearing my running clothes. My watch alarm was set at 4:45 a.m. I ran 10 miles, sometimes 12, before work. I ran more than 100 miles a week for several months in a row. I consumed huge amounts of food. I subscribed to Runner's World magazine, and went to the local bookstore to read other running magazines and books that I didn't have. I voraciously searched running-related web sites for tips, charts, and pace calculators. I did tempo runs, progressive runs, quarter-mile repeats, Yasso 800's, medium long runs, recovery runs, and long runs. Some Saturday mornings I would leave my home in Temple City, CA, for runs, and would end up spending over 4 hours leaving 27-mile long trails of footprints in nearby Arcadia, Monrovia, Irwindale, West Covina, Covina, Azusa, Baldwin Park and El Monte. I participated in an online running discussion group. I even joined the group's running mileage game one year...and won. I ran 21 more marathons over 8 years. I have a Boston Marathon finisher's medal somewhere in the bathroom. I read running shoe catalogs in the bathroom.
I was not a casual runner. I was a running fanatic. Life was simple and predictable, as I ate in order to run faster, I drank in order to run farther, and I slept and rested so that my muscles would recover in time for the next day's run. This running thing, I ate it all up.
In the same way, there are two kinds of people who call themselves Christians. Shortly after I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my well-meaning parents advised me to not get too crazy with my religion. They didn't mind that I would receive certain benefits from going to church - I would learn how to be a good person, have the "right" kind of friends (and maybe even meeting the right girl), and have something to keep me busy on weekends. They just did not want me to become a religious fanatic.
However, Jesus was not looking for casual, lukewarm Christians. After he declared himself to be the bread of life, it was clear that Jesus was looking for hard-core followers:
"So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me." (John 6:53-57)
Jesus was not looking for casual followers who just wanted a taste of what he had to offer, but those who would eat it all up. Many of Jesus' followers turned back and left. Those who remained were fanatics who eventually turned the word upside down.
Are we all in?
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sealing the Deal
There are certain seasonal rituals in which most American families participate - vacations during the summer, Thanksgiving dinner and holiday shopping during the fall, Christmas and watching the Super Bowl during the winter, and mailing in tax returns during the spring. Taxes! I wouldn't look forward to springtime if it weren't for warmer weather, flowers, and the celebration of Jesus' rising from the dead on Easter Sunday. Paying taxes usually means collecting a folder that bulges with various receipts and tax-related documents, meeting with the accountant, writing a check to the accountant, receiving the prepared tax returns at the last minute, trying to explain to my wife why we pay so much in taxes, and finally mailing the tax returns.
The final moments before I actually mail the returns tend to be painfully tedious. I check the prepared forms, sign and date the forms, enter my Social Security number, and ask my wife to sign and date the forms. I then enter my wife's Social Security number (I have done this so many times that I have memorized her number), pull out the checkbook, fill in the check amounts and double-check for errors (I rarely write such large checks, so it is a big deal), sign the checks, fill in other necessary details on the checks, find the mailing addresses for the returns, make sure that the forms and checks are in the proper envelopes, seal the envelopes, and hand carry the documents to the post office to have them sent by certified mail. It is a meticulous process, and I insist on performing the task in a fixed order.
I did not always attend to such detail during my younger tax-paying years, and occasionally I would discover that either the check or a certain form was left out of the envelope after it was sealed. If I caught my error in time, I would try to unseal the envelope as carefully as possible, and in most cases I would succeed in reopening the envelope without totally destroying it. However, the reopening process would invariably leave small tears and wrinkles in the envelope flap, and it would have to eventually be resealed with additional glue and tape.
Mailing tax forms made me think about sex.
I'm not kidding. When God established the institution of marriage, it was meant to bring a man and a woman to leave their parents and be joined in an irrevocable bond. Sexual relations between the newly formed couple would consummate the marriage, so that they are bound as one and not to be separated in the relationship. Sex is the glue that seals the deal, just as licking the envelope flap and pressing it down seals the envelope. It is not meant to be undone, and attempts to sever the relationship, no matter how carefully, will cause irreparable tears and scars.
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
The apostle Paul did not specify in his letter the definition of "sexual immorality", but it is reasonable to say that any sex that is not between a husband and wife may qualify the definition.
May we heed King Solomon's advice:
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases. (Song of Solomon 2:7)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Barks, Leaves and Fruit
Chuck and I became good friends while we attended medical school in the late 1980's. Chuck had a somewhat distinctive appearance - tall, slender, wearing an easy smile, with brown hair, very light complexion and no freckles. It turned out that he was part Cherokee Indian, and that his father, an aficionado of the great outdoors, taught him much about plant and animal life during his youth while growing up in Ohio. Chuck once told me that his father taught him to recognize a variety of tree species by simply looking at the bark. Needless to say, I was impressed by his professed skills of arbor identification, as I normally would only be able to identify a tree if there was a plaque or sign with the name of the tree species in front of it. However, I eventually managed to improve my tree knowledge over the years, and now I can fairly confidently recognize an oak from a sycamore, or a mesquite from a palo verde. It's not much to brag about, since most Cub Scouts probably can do the same.
On the other hand, I have no trouble identifying citrus plants. Having lived nearly my entire life in Taiwan and Southern California, where warm weather and abundant sunshine provide fabulous citrus growing conditions, it is unusual for me to live for even a day without some citrus exposure. We have navel oranges and lemons in the refrigerator, large, juicy pomelos (massive, grapefruit-like monstrosities with very thick rind) on the kitchen counter, a bag of mandarin oranges in a basket, a grapefruit tree in the backyard that is full of fruit, and a kumquat tree at my mother's house. I can recognize Valencia oranges, Texas oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, tangelos, and clementines. If you show me a citrus tree, I'll immediately recognize the characteristic shape of the broad, dark green, waxy leaves, and know for certain that it is a citrus tree.
Unfortunately, if the tree is not bearing fruit, I will not be able to tell whether it is a lemon tree, an orange tree, or a grapefruit tree, because their leaves are indistinguishable from one another. It is by the fruit that the tree is recognized.
Just as it is impossible to discern a citrus tree without seeing its fruit, it is difficult to know a person without seeing his works and deeds. A surgeon is good only if he has performed many surgeries successfully, and that his patients are happy with the results. An honest looking person may simply be an expert in deception unless he also acts with integrity, even when it appears that no one is watching. In the same way, one cannot claim to be a "born again" Christian without somehow demonstrating radical changes in thought, words and actions. We may fool others for a season, but our fruit will eventually betray our identity.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20)
You can't judge a fruit tree by its leaves alone.
On the other hand, I have no trouble identifying citrus plants. Having lived nearly my entire life in Taiwan and Southern California, where warm weather and abundant sunshine provide fabulous citrus growing conditions, it is unusual for me to live for even a day without some citrus exposure. We have navel oranges and lemons in the refrigerator, large, juicy pomelos (massive, grapefruit-like monstrosities with very thick rind) on the kitchen counter, a bag of mandarin oranges in a basket, a grapefruit tree in the backyard that is full of fruit, and a kumquat tree at my mother's house. I can recognize Valencia oranges, Texas oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, tangelos, and clementines. If you show me a citrus tree, I'll immediately recognize the characteristic shape of the broad, dark green, waxy leaves, and know for certain that it is a citrus tree.
Unfortunately, if the tree is not bearing fruit, I will not be able to tell whether it is a lemon tree, an orange tree, or a grapefruit tree, because their leaves are indistinguishable from one another. It is by the fruit that the tree is recognized.
Just as it is impossible to discern a citrus tree without seeing its fruit, it is difficult to know a person without seeing his works and deeds. A surgeon is good only if he has performed many surgeries successfully, and that his patients are happy with the results. An honest looking person may simply be an expert in deception unless he also acts with integrity, even when it appears that no one is watching. In the same way, one cannot claim to be a "born again" Christian without somehow demonstrating radical changes in thought, words and actions. We may fool others for a season, but our fruit will eventually betray our identity.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20)
You can't judge a fruit tree by its leaves alone.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Fussing Over A Blemish
Ronnie, a handsome looking eleven-year-old boy, is one of my "special" patients. I have known Ronnie since he was five years old, some time after he developed sudden liver failure and required a liver transplant at a nearby hospital. His surgery was quite successful; however, because a suitable sized organ was not available at the time, Ronnie received a liver that was much too large to fit properly in his abdominal cavity. As a consequence, the surgeon had to to leave the abdominal muscles open, so that the liver, jutting prominently from his belly, was carefully covered only by his stretched-out skin and a small amount of underlying tissue. I followed Ronnie for several years while he lived with a relatively unprotected liver, and was quite relieved when he was finally big enough to undergo additional surgery and have the defect corrected. Needless to say, the extensive surgeries left Ronnie with quite a few abdominal scars, but Ronnie never appeared to be too concerned about them, as his belly was almost always concealed by clothing.
During the office visit, I discussed with Ronnie and his mother his recent health, his medication prescription, results of his recent appointment with the transplant surgeon, his family, his friends, and how he was doing at school. All seemed to be well. The physical examination was also quite satisfactory. As I filled out some paperwork for the family, the mother casually asked me about "this small whitehead under Ronnie's left eye that wouldn't go away". I admitted that I did not notice it before, and examined his face more carefully. Indeed, about an inch under his left eye, there was a very small, pearly bump that was no more than 1-2 mm, or about one-sixteenth of an inch in size. There was no redness, bleeding, scratches, or discoloration of the surrounding skin. Having seen the same kind of lesion many times before, I smiled, and did my best to provide reassurance:
"Ronnie, that little bump under your eye is a very common thing called "molluscum contagiosum". A lot of kids have them, and I probably had them at some point. It's caused by a virus, and usually they will go away completely after a few months without any treatment. You don't want to scratch or pick at it though, because it sometimes may spread to other parts of the skin. Just leave it alone, and you'll be fine."
I got on the computer and showed Ronnie and his mother drawings and pictures of the lesion, and the mother knowingly recalled that she once had several of those on her chin before that was treated with either chemicals or liquid nitrogen, and that it left a scar for a while. The mother seemed content to leave the lesion alone, since any treatment of the lesion may actually make it look worse.
Unfortunately, Ronnie suddenly became tearful and upset, and demanded that something be done to get rid of that "ugly" thing, which actually was barely perceptible to the casual eye. He didn't care that treatment might leave him with a worse looking scar, or that it might be very painful. He wanted it gone, and he wanted it gone IMMEDIATELY. I had no choice but to go ahead and refer him to a dermatologist, and felt a bit embarrassed that I couldn't handle such a simple, harmless skin problem.
Overreaction? Definitely. On the other hand, when it comes to hearing God's word, we are commanded to pay attention to the slightest detail:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22-25)
God's word reveals His perfect character, exposes our iniquity, and defines his direction and will for our lives. If we are "doers of the word", it compels us to respond, and what we see will be much more than a tiny spot under the left eye.
During the office visit, I discussed with Ronnie and his mother his recent health, his medication prescription, results of his recent appointment with the transplant surgeon, his family, his friends, and how he was doing at school. All seemed to be well. The physical examination was also quite satisfactory. As I filled out some paperwork for the family, the mother casually asked me about "this small whitehead under Ronnie's left eye that wouldn't go away". I admitted that I did not notice it before, and examined his face more carefully. Indeed, about an inch under his left eye, there was a very small, pearly bump that was no more than 1-2 mm, or about one-sixteenth of an inch in size. There was no redness, bleeding, scratches, or discoloration of the surrounding skin. Having seen the same kind of lesion many times before, I smiled, and did my best to provide reassurance:
"Ronnie, that little bump under your eye is a very common thing called "molluscum contagiosum". A lot of kids have them, and I probably had them at some point. It's caused by a virus, and usually they will go away completely after a few months without any treatment. You don't want to scratch or pick at it though, because it sometimes may spread to other parts of the skin. Just leave it alone, and you'll be fine."
I got on the computer and showed Ronnie and his mother drawings and pictures of the lesion, and the mother knowingly recalled that she once had several of those on her chin before that was treated with either chemicals or liquid nitrogen, and that it left a scar for a while. The mother seemed content to leave the lesion alone, since any treatment of the lesion may actually make it look worse.
Unfortunately, Ronnie suddenly became tearful and upset, and demanded that something be done to get rid of that "ugly" thing, which actually was barely perceptible to the casual eye. He didn't care that treatment might leave him with a worse looking scar, or that it might be very painful. He wanted it gone, and he wanted it gone IMMEDIATELY. I had no choice but to go ahead and refer him to a dermatologist, and felt a bit embarrassed that I couldn't handle such a simple, harmless skin problem.
Overreaction? Definitely. On the other hand, when it comes to hearing God's word, we are commanded to pay attention to the slightest detail:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22-25)
God's word reveals His perfect character, exposes our iniquity, and defines his direction and will for our lives. If we are "doers of the word", it compels us to respond, and what we see will be much more than a tiny spot under the left eye.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
A Matter of Consumption
"Diego, I'm going to do a little test on you in order to get to know some of your habits. We'll start with a game just to get you warmed up. OK?"
"Uh, OK."
Diego came with his mother to have his stomachaches checked out. After a couple of minutes of casual conversation, I learned that he likes to play basketball, but eats way too much fast food.
"You like to watch NBA basketball on TV?"
"Yeah."
"Great. For the warm-up exercise, I'll give you 30 seconds, and I want you to name for me as many NBA basketball teams as you can come up with. Ready? Go!"
I noted the time on my watch, and within a couple of seconds, Diego started to rattle off a list of team names:
"Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Mavericks, Heat, Cavaliers...Hornets, Thunder, Magic...."
"Good job. Now, the fun part. I'll give you 30 seconds again, but this time I want you to name for me as many vegetables as you can possibly think of. Go!"
"Uh, carrots, broccoli..."
He was off to a good start, but stalled considerably after the first two vegetables, and eventually only added spinach and tomatoes to the list. He later confided that he hated spinach. Diego seemed to consume NBA basketball on TV much more than he consumed vegetables.
I was teaching Sunday school to the eighth graders at church a few days later, and decided to play the same game with the students, with a twist. I asked them to list for me all the Bible verses that they were familiar with. Sadly, most could not come up with more than one or two verses, and half the class mentioned John 3:16. It was evident that their consumption of God's word was woefully deficient.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
If we truly love God, we will have no trouble loving His words and commands, and will know many of them as if they are on the back of our hands. Meanwhile, turn off the TV, and pass the vegetables, please.
"Uh, OK."
Diego came with his mother to have his stomachaches checked out. After a couple of minutes of casual conversation, I learned that he likes to play basketball, but eats way too much fast food.
"You like to watch NBA basketball on TV?"
"Yeah."
"Great. For the warm-up exercise, I'll give you 30 seconds, and I want you to name for me as many NBA basketball teams as you can come up with. Ready? Go!"
I noted the time on my watch, and within a couple of seconds, Diego started to rattle off a list of team names:
"Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Mavericks, Heat, Cavaliers...Hornets, Thunder, Magic...."
"Good job. Now, the fun part. I'll give you 30 seconds again, but this time I want you to name for me as many vegetables as you can possibly think of. Go!"
"Uh, carrots, broccoli..."
He was off to a good start, but stalled considerably after the first two vegetables, and eventually only added spinach and tomatoes to the list. He later confided that he hated spinach. Diego seemed to consume NBA basketball on TV much more than he consumed vegetables.
I was teaching Sunday school to the eighth graders at church a few days later, and decided to play the same game with the students, with a twist. I asked them to list for me all the Bible verses that they were familiar with. Sadly, most could not come up with more than one or two verses, and half the class mentioned John 3:16. It was evident that their consumption of God's word was woefully deficient.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
If we truly love God, we will have no trouble loving His words and commands, and will know many of them as if they are on the back of our hands. Meanwhile, turn off the TV, and pass the vegetables, please.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
A Matter of Confidence
"What did you find, Doctor?"
The mother was in her usual anxious self when I greeted her in the GI lab after her teen daughter's endoscopic procedures. Jenna had been complaining of stomaches for years, and recently the pain got to the point where she stopped going to school. She was getting depressed, not sleeping well, and also started to complain of headaches and pain all over the body. Her recent laboratory test results were largely normal, and physical examination findings did not suggest the presence of any serious disease. I was quite certain that Jenna had a "functional" disorder such as fibromyalgia. These conditions mostly present with various types of pain and discomfort that are not due to infections, obvious inflammation, cancer or any disease that requires surgery, and test results are almost always negative. I was quite reluctant to perform additional studies on her, but recently indicated that I would consider performing GI endoscopies on her if the results, which I expected to be normal, can provide the family reassurance that Jenna does not have any other serious disease. She ended up getting both an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (scoping from the mouth) and a colonoscopy (scoping from the rear end).
"Jenna handled the procedures pretty well. Here's a copy of the photographs that I took inside her." I handed the mother the endoscopy pictures, and did my best to explain the findings. "This picture is from the first part of the small intestine...this one from the stomach looking toward the intestine...from the stomach looking up toward the esophagus...from the lower part of the esophagus...from the area of the large intestine next to the appendix...the rest of the large intestine...rectum...." I paused for a moment.
"Basically all the parts of the digestive tract that were visible on endoscopy were completely normal. Jenna does not have ulcers, does not have infections inside her stomach, does not have bleeding, does not have polyps...does not have cancer. I hope that you take this as good news, and the negative findings were basically what I expected before going into the procedure."
"You're sure that the tests were negative?" Jenna's mother asked, staring blankly while her daughter, still under the influence of sedative medications, giggled unintelligibly in the gurney beside her.
"I've learned in medicine never to actually say 'never' or 'always', but I'm as certain about this as I possibly can be. I did take some biopsies during the procedures, and the results should be available next week to further confirm that Jenna does not have a serious organic disease."
My confidence in what I said was based on what I learned in medical school, in my residency training, in my pediatric gastroenterology fellowship, in my work experience, in books, in journals, in discussions with families, colleagues and mentors, and in attending numerous national medical conferences. The only thing that would further increase my confidence would be if God actually told me that it was so. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if the mother wanted a second opinion.
Is there anything in which I can have true confidence? Being one who has lived under God's grace as a Christian for many years, I have full assurance of my salvation. Jesus said,
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day." (John 6:37-40)
The first of two diagnostic questions that are taught in Evangelism Explosion training is, "Have you reached the point in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die tonight you would go to heaven?"
My answer is yes. I'm even more certain of it than I am of Jenna not having cancer.
The mother was in her usual anxious self when I greeted her in the GI lab after her teen daughter's endoscopic procedures. Jenna had been complaining of stomaches for years, and recently the pain got to the point where she stopped going to school. She was getting depressed, not sleeping well, and also started to complain of headaches and pain all over the body. Her recent laboratory test results were largely normal, and physical examination findings did not suggest the presence of any serious disease. I was quite certain that Jenna had a "functional" disorder such as fibromyalgia. These conditions mostly present with various types of pain and discomfort that are not due to infections, obvious inflammation, cancer or any disease that requires surgery, and test results are almost always negative. I was quite reluctant to perform additional studies on her, but recently indicated that I would consider performing GI endoscopies on her if the results, which I expected to be normal, can provide the family reassurance that Jenna does not have any other serious disease. She ended up getting both an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (scoping from the mouth) and a colonoscopy (scoping from the rear end).
"Jenna handled the procedures pretty well. Here's a copy of the photographs that I took inside her." I handed the mother the endoscopy pictures, and did my best to explain the findings. "This picture is from the first part of the small intestine...this one from the stomach looking toward the intestine...from the stomach looking up toward the esophagus...from the lower part of the esophagus...from the area of the large intestine next to the appendix...the rest of the large intestine...rectum...." I paused for a moment.
"Basically all the parts of the digestive tract that were visible on endoscopy were completely normal. Jenna does not have ulcers, does not have infections inside her stomach, does not have bleeding, does not have polyps...does not have cancer. I hope that you take this as good news, and the negative findings were basically what I expected before going into the procedure."
"You're sure that the tests were negative?" Jenna's mother asked, staring blankly while her daughter, still under the influence of sedative medications, giggled unintelligibly in the gurney beside her.
"I've learned in medicine never to actually say 'never' or 'always', but I'm as certain about this as I possibly can be. I did take some biopsies during the procedures, and the results should be available next week to further confirm that Jenna does not have a serious organic disease."
My confidence in what I said was based on what I learned in medical school, in my residency training, in my pediatric gastroenterology fellowship, in my work experience, in books, in journals, in discussions with families, colleagues and mentors, and in attending numerous national medical conferences. The only thing that would further increase my confidence would be if God actually told me that it was so. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if the mother wanted a second opinion.
Is there anything in which I can have true confidence? Being one who has lived under God's grace as a Christian for many years, I have full assurance of my salvation. Jesus said,
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day." (John 6:37-40)
The first of two diagnostic questions that are taught in Evangelism Explosion training is, "Have you reached the point in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die tonight you would go to heaven?"
My answer is yes. I'm even more certain of it than I am of Jenna not having cancer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)