A Modern-Day Lazarus Opens My Eyes

At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. (Luke 16:20)

Years ago I visited New York City with my father. We strolled down 5th Avenue and arrived at the luxurious Trump Tower that houses oversized condos for the wealthy. I pulled out my camera, pointing straight at it. But before I could snap the shot, a homeless man sprung between my lens and the building and stood there, unmoved, blocking my view and invading my psyche. For what felt like minutes, the unkempt man held my eyes hostage.  

The moment captured my soul and broke my heart.

Although I have no photograph of the stunning skyscraper, I have a priceless image in my soul of a human face I'll never forget. As the man walked off, I felt like sobbing while fighting a nauseating sense of shame for wanting to photograph luxury while oblivious to the human needs around me. I stood there speechless as my father looked on, both of us grasping the fact that we'd just seen the face of Jesus.

I did not give him money, food, or even a hug; I gave him nothing at all, but he gave me a precious gift. That man with cataract-laden eyes opened my eyes, preaching eloquently without words about God's kingdom and the self-indulgence and absurdity of our world, which included me.

The One who rose from the dead revealed Himself that day in the distressing face of a modern-day Lazarus. May we all heed His call to share with the needy, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked. And one day we'll hear Him say, "What you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).

Ponder with me: Has a modern-day Lazarus opened your eyes and stirred your heart to serve? How are you responding to God's call?

Lord Jesus, keep our eyes open to the needs around us, and keep our hearts and hands ready to serve You in the hurting, the poor, and the sick. For the sake of Your name. Amen.

Humbled,
Dr Mari

* This is an excerpt from my book, Walking with Jesus in Healthcare (p.177) *

For an opportunity to serve the poor among us, learn about Grace Medical Home, a ministry of service and love through healthcare in Central Florida.

Cultivating Hearts of Service

This weekend I had the privilege of traveling to Colorado Springs to attend the Women in Medicine and Dentistry annual conference. It was my first time surrounded by other women physicians for whom medicine is a calling to serve Christ through healthcare. What a joy it was to meet them, share meals with them, worship and pray with them! I especially loved getting to know some of the medical students who are just beginning this exciting (and demanding ... and life-changing!) journey.

Surrounded by mountains and rock formations that included the Garden of the Gods, it was easy to step off the treadmill that is modern healthcare to take in the fresh air, sunshine, and beauty that help revive the soul. The conference was in Glen Eyrie Castle (did you know there are castles in the U.S.?). It was breathtaking, and the bear sighting (cub included!) just hours before our bonfire added a touch of adventure.

While at the conference, I had the privilege of addressing my colleagues to speak about ways to cultivate hearts of service in a busy practice. I spoke mostly about our need to abide in Christ while caring for people, lest we try to give what we don't have ... striving to meet overwhelming needs while running on empty. We studied John 15, recognizing Jesus' insistence that we remain in Him. "Remain in me," says Jesus. "Apart from me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

I also spoke of my role model, Mother Teresa, whose compassion and selfless love for people continue to inspire and beckon me to become more like Jesus. I reminded my new physician friends (and myself!) that our walk with God in healthcare is a journey. Although we all have days when we wish we'd done better, we can trust God's promise to bring to completion the work He began in each of us. As we continue to surrender our lives to Him, He will surely give us His Spirit, empowering us to fulfill our calling.

When ministry gets tough, we must call on God and remember the words spoken by the apostle Paul in Galatians 6:9, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

This week, our country is blessed to host Pope Francis, a man who is showing the world Christ-like humility as well as a servant heart. I am thankful to God that there are people we can learn from as we continue to let Him mold us into the likeness of His Son. What a privilege it is to serve Him! May we all continue to keep Him at the center of our lives!

Seek Him!
Dr. Mari

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:4

Living on Mission: Compassion Trumps Fear (Part III)

This week, a human story of compassion and faith winning over fear captured my heart. In the midst of a terrifying outbreak of Ebola virus, Dr. Kent Brantly felt called to Liberia to treat patients with this infection with a mortality rate as high as 60 - 90%. While caring for people with the disease, Dr. Brantly became infected and quarantined himself. After initially insisting that the only available experimental serum be given to an infected colleague (they ended up both receiving the medication), Dr. Brantly arrived on US soil for treatment at a special unit at Emory Hospital in Atlanta.

Transported under meticulous infection control procedures all the way from West Africa, he surprised the world by walking out of the ambulance in a body suit before entering the hospital. Though still critically ill, he seems to be improving while thousands continue to pray for him all over the globe.

This 33 year-old physician, husband, and father of two children (ages 3 and 5) works for Samaritan's Purse, an organization that provides food, water, shelter, medicine, and other assistance throughout the world in the name of Christ. Dr. Brantly was drawn to mission work since youth and wanted to be a missionary even before becoming a doctor. He is a member of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.

Please join me in praying for this selfless young doctor.

Lord, I thank You for drawing people to know and follow You. I thank You for giving Dr. Kent Brantly a heart of service and compassion. I pray that his health will be completely restored and that, through his illness, a cure may be found for the hundreds of people infected with this virus. I pray, Lord Jesus, that Your Name will be exalted through this doctor's suffering and that many people will come to know You through him. I also pray for his wife and children, for all people infected with this virus, and for every healthcare professional caring for him and others with this infection.

Kent Bradley is a beautiful example of courageously walking with Jesus in healthcare. What a witness! Please keep him in your prayers.

In Hope,
Dr Mari

For Parts I and II of this series on mission, see Living on Mission: What's That All About? and Living on Mission: A Look Back.

UPDATE, August 15, 2014: Follow this link to an update of Dr. Brantly's progress. As he recovers, he continues to thank God for His mercy and is grateful for the excellent care he's received.

Healing Hearts: The Power of Prayer

This month, my 25-day study of the book of Hebrews is included in The Journey, a quarterly publication of Bible Reading Fellowship. Here is an excerpt from one of the reflections I wrote this summer for the latest edition of The Journey.

As I headed for work earlier this week, I was sad, missing our sweet dog that just died. But more than my pain, I was suffering over the sense of loss in my children's young hearts. My soul needed to find its green pastures even as I helped them heal.

In the family medicine clinic where I worked that morning, I start each day by praying with our staff. We spend a few minutes sharing our hearts and our needs. We then pray together, acknowledging God as our provider and healer. We ask to be Christ's hands and feet, to have His compassion, and to stay close to Him while caring for people.

That day I showed up with such a heavy heart that I didn't even feel like praying. But as I saw my coworkers' faces, my heart softened, for I know their struggles and hurts, too. Some of my pain began to melt as I considered their needs.

Somewhat reluctantly, still, I asked if they wanted to pray. They did, so we prayed, and lightness returned to my soul. As I share in my book, Walking with Jesus in Healthcare, God does draw near to us when we draw near to Him (James 4:8).

The first couple I treated that morning spontaneously shared what God was doing in their lives. They were excited to tell me about a mission trip that was coming up and all the ways God had provided for them. After addressing their medical needs, I asked — with renewed joy — whether they wanted to thank God together. As we offered a prayer to our faithful God, I felt like I'd been healed. My heart was no longer heavy at all. It was light and full of joy! I had experienced once more the fruit of faith: living in God's presence, where healing, restoration, and joy are never far.

Are you living in a valley where even praying is hard? Tell someone you trust, and ask him or her to pray for you. Offer your pain and your losses to God. He can do anything.

Joyfully,
Dr Mari

For more inspiration, read My New Promotion: A Life of Grace.

Learn more about Bible Reading Fellowship here and visit my author website for information about my devotional for healthcare professionals and caregivers.

Encouragement For Healthcare Servants

I am so thankful for every opportunity I get to support, encourage, and empower healthcare professionals and caregivers in their critical roles. If you are a physician colleague navigating the many changes in healthcare that continue to impact your life and work, stay encouraged! People need your medical and technical skills and, especially, your gifts of attentive listening, compassion, and love.

These are challenging times, so remember to keep your cup full so you can give out of the overflow of your heart. Learn to identify the signs of burnout and compassion fatigue in yourself and your coworkers so you can be proactive, stay healthy, and continue to serve others.

As you know, music can be not only therapeutic but also a way the Spirit of God ministers to our deepest needs. So I'm posting a link to two songs to encourage and strengthen you right now: Mandisa's Overcomer and All Sons & Daughters' Oh How I Need You.

If you find this helpful, consider sharing this post with someone else.  

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

(1 Thessalonians 5:11)

In Christ's Hope,

Dr Mari

Whatever challenges we face today, whether in our personal lives or while caring for others, God says to you and me, Pray. Stay with Me. Do not give up. I will answer. Pray. (Walking with Jesus in Healthcare, p.186) 

"Ask and it will be given to you; 

seek and you will find; 

knock and the door will be opened to you. 

For everyone who asks receives; 

the one who seeks finds; 

and to the one who knocks, 

the door will be opened."

Matthew 7:7-8

Healing, Faith, and Love: A Father's Day Tribute

In Luke 4:38-44, Peter Simon's mother-in-law was "suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them" (v.38-39).

I love that this healing involves Simon’s own mother-in-law. When Jesus calls us into ministry, we, too, witness the miraculous in our midst, even with our loved ones. I experienced this with my father.

Years ago, I traveled home to Puerto Rico when Dad’s heart began to fail. I found him at the coronary step-down unit after a “small heart attack.” Although he looked strong, I knew how weak his heart had become, its pumping capacity having dropped to a mere fifteen percent. His heart was seriously failing.

Though I’d prayed for Dad for years, I’d never prayed with him—and it was time. When I timidly asked if I could pray with him, his eyes lit up! So I laid my hand on Dad’s chest and prayed like a child who knew this could be her last week with Daddy—even her last hour.

There were no fireworks, no visible angels, and no physical changes that I could detect. But as I prayed, I knew that my father would be okay. And not just his physical heart, but his spiritual heart as well. I gained a complete peace about his physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being that became an anchor for my soul and a comfort to my family and to him. 
 
Papi lived for three more years with an implanted defibrillator and fulfilled many of his lifelong dreams in that short time, including becoming a published author—twice! 

More importantly, I believe that my father gave his life over to Christ. Our last years together were the best in our relationship. We grew closer as he became more alive, at peace, and full of joy. As with Simon’s mother-in-law, Jesus stepped into my house, where He continues to draw my family to Himself one person at a time.

Is there someone in your life that needs you to step out in faith and pray with him or her? Be courageous, have faith, and pray. Our God delights to answer.

Walking by faith,

Dr Mari 

* This is an excerpt from my book, Walking with Jesus in Healthcare. I post it in memory of my father, a humble and sincere man of integrity whose intelligence, creativity, and sense of humor blessed us. ¡Te amo, papi! Recordarte me hace sonreir. (I love you, Daddy! I smile when I think of you.) *

Thanksgiving: My New Book is Coming Soon!

12/12 UPDATE: My devotional for healthcare professionals and caregivers is now available! Visit my author website for details! 

To all my faithful followers and encouragers,

I am thrilled to share that I just finished the final round of edits for my devotional, Walking with Jesus in Healthcare. With God's help, it will be in print very soon! My faith has grown and my heart has been transformed while writing it, and I pray that it will bless every reader with a closer walk with God.

Here's an excerpt I share at the end of the book. It comes from a hymn written by Fanny Crosby in 1882. It is also the song of my heart as I complete this work I was called to do. What a privilege!

"Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ,

wealth that can never be told!

Riches exhaustless of mercy and grace,

precious, more precious than gold!

Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ!

Freely, how freely they flow,

making the souls of the faithful and true

happy wherever they go!

Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ!

Who would not gladly endure

trials, afflictions, and crosses on earth,

riches like these to secure!"

Wishing you a strong faith and a life full of true riches,
Dr Mari

For more information and updates, visit my author website.