May 12, 2016

Out to Lunch

For a medical test at the VA hospital I was restricted to clear liquids for 24 hours and then nothing for 12 hours before the procedure. When my test was competed I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription that was ordered 2 ½ hours earlier; however, the prescription was not ready and the pharmacy technician blew me off about how busy they were. I marched down to the Patient Advocate who opened his door with his fast food sandwich in hand and jokingly said, “I’m out to lunch.” Excuse me…I haven’t had anything to eat for over 24 hours. Once I had the advocates attention, three hours after the fact, the prescription was quickly filled. Contemplating advocacy, I’m grateful that Jesus, who is the believer’s advocate and intercessor, is never out to lunch. “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Ro 8:34 NIV).

3 comments:

Steve Corey said...

Gail;

-----From January 1 through April 15 I roll out of bed between two and three AM, wash my face, fix my hair, throw on some clothes, make sure my precious bride knows for real that I love her, then rush off to work. Come nine AM it is lunch time for me. That is also the approximate beginning of “drop by and see your professional” time for my clients. I have a lot of work to do and only a short amount of time to enjoy my lunch and read the news. And since I was caught taking a break, my clients inevitably think the time is for wasting, so they sit down and lollygag through their ideas mixed in with all of the recent news about the pet dog and the kid's guppy. We’re supposed to do that during work time, not my break! So, it flusters me to the point I begin inwardly chastising myself for not having locked my door and hung up the “out to lunch” sign.
-----But I am not only a professional by trade, I am a servant by life. Though by the former I would hang out the sign, by the latter I must take it down. Too many times I have found that my clients are stopping in at this hour because they are off to work or to some appointment. Their lives are busy, too, and that hour was the convenient one. So I won’t be the picture in my mind of you submissively seated awaiting this patient advocate to casually chomp down the last of his sub-sandwich, then if he is like me, take his after-lunch-nap, too.
-----I used to marvel at what Jesus said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:27) Well, gee! He wouldn’t have many disciples if what it took to be a disciple is to go die on a cross! (Amazing how difficultly big concepts fit into tiny minds.) Over the years, though, I began to realize that every time we must do something like push the sandwich aside and postpone the nap to serve a client‘s convenience is to die just a little bit. My want to eat, then sleep, suffers upon the cross. And it suffers there for the nice lady needing my help.
-----It truly is amazing how many very small slices of our lives can rightly get whittled off and nailed to the cross in the course of a normal day. It is a blessing how good what grows in their place feels.


Love you all,
Steve Corey

Pumice said...

And I thought my 14 hour fast was a big deal.

Grace and peace.

Christian Ear said...

Ah, kindred spirits!