Many years ago when I had a lot of health issues and spent a lot of time in doctor’s waiting rooms, I asked God why He didn’t heal me so that I wouldn’t be wasting so much time in doctor’s offices. The Holy Spirit promptly told me that I wasn’t wasting time!
Later, when I’d been ushered into the doctor’s office, one of the medical staff told me that when I came, it was like a ray of sunshine. I repented and determined that I was never going to look on time spent in doctor’s waiting rooms and offices as a waste of time again. I decided I would look on it as an opportunity to be a ray of sunshine and to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit to speak words of encouragement or whatever the medical personnel might need to hear.
On Monday, I had my yearly appointment with the doctor who did my surgery on May nine, 2023. He has been such a wonderful blessing to Donn and me that I did an acknowledgement to him in my book, Homespun Faith, The Rest of the Story, Volume Two.
When I gave Dr. K a copy of the book a year ago, he looked worried and asked if I thought this was going to bring him more patients! A year ago, he wouldn’t promise that he’d be around for more than a year, saying he’d been doing this for at least 100 years! He is only 63, but I can see why he might feel that way because he pours so much of himself into his patients.
Dr. K sat and talked with Donn and me for awhile on Monday, and as our conversation progressed, he said, “You know, the length of your treatment had nothing to do with the stage of any of your cancer (it was all early stage or pre-cancer) but only about the one type of cancer you had—HER2+.”
I nodded and said, “There have been times when I wondered why it was necessary for me to have that kind of cancer, but I promised God a long time ago that I would do anything He asked me to do. If He needed me to be in treatment longer to be available to others going through cancer, then it’s okay.”
As Dr. K nodded thoughtfully, I continued, “I formed so many relationships with people who needed someone to talk to who understood what they were going through and to pray for them. And it also comes down to what got us through our son’s illness and death—believing that God knows what He’s doing and He doesn’t make mistakes.”
Somewhere in our conversation when I mentioned something pertaining to my writing, Dr. K said,” I still have your book lying on my desk!” He is a Catholic, I think, but I’m not sure if he has a personal relationship with Jesus. So my hope is that he would read my book, not only have it on his desk!
We were delighted that Dr. K promised us he will be around for at least another year, because they want him to help train the younger doctors—a great idea! The staff gave me another appointment with him in a year. I’m thankful for the promise of more conversations with him, and I continue to pray that God, who knows all hearts, will reveal Himself to Dr. K in any way that’s way that’s needed.
After my appointment, I realized once again that my time spent in doctor’s offices is not wasted. Over the past couple years, our son’s illness and mine have given us so many opportunities to have meaningful conversations with people we wouldn’t have met otherwise. And opportunities to continue to pray for them.
I prayed in my prayer time with Donn on Monday evening that God would place more people in Dr. K’s life who have a personal relationship with Jesus and that our beloved doctor would have a desire to have one as well.
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the gifted doctors and nurses who give so much of themselves to their patients. Help us not to look on our time with them as wasted time but to use it wisely. We thank you especially for Dr. K and pray that he would come to know you in a personal way if he has yet to do that. Amen.