A huge cast
Written by: Barbara Parker on May 6, 2010
Practically everyone had left the theater, but we remained, waiting impatiently for the name of our friend to scroll across the screen as the credits rolled on and on and on…and on.
He had worked as a grip on this film and was now a friend of the star, receiving invitations to visit his home. We were impressed! Finally, there it was on the screen, and we clapped and hugged our hero.
These days, I have an increased awareness of the number of people and the amount of behind-the-scenes work needed to produce a movie, because my son is a video editor.
He can spend hours and hours working on even a thirty-second commercial; and he’s just one of many who’ve invested similar amounts of time on the project—writers, producers, directors, camera and lighting people, actors, and office staff, to name a few.
As I prepared this morning to go for a follow-up mammogram, it occurred to me that my encounter with breast cancer involved a cast of characters that is probably as large as those involved in even a blockbuster movie such as Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings.
My doctors include internist, radiologist, surgeon, oncologist and radiation oncologist. Add to that an unknown number of other radiologists, pathologists, and anesthesiologists, each of whom has an office staff.
Then I started to count up the other physicians I depend on. There’s the dermatologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, ophthalmologist, gynecologist and the dentist; not to mention past encounters with orthopedists, podiatrists, urologists, otolaryngologists, pulmonologists, and chiropractors.
It’s clear that the days of one family doctor who does it all are long gone. So when I am asked, “Who’s your doctor?” I have to reply, “Which one do you want?”
I wonder how they’d react if I answered from my heart, “My primary care physician is God,” because that is the truth. I read in the Bible that He is the one who made me, the one who created my inmost being; who knit me together in my mother's womb. He is truly the greatest physician of all.
Interestingly, whatever God does—healing included—he cannot be defined or put into a box made up of our expectations. His way of doing things continually varies.
Two characters in the Bible, Abraham and Peter, prayed and people were healed. At times, the Bible records Jesus simply speaking and healing occurred instantly; but he also did such unusual things as spitting in the dirt, placing the mud on the eyes of a blind man and telling him to go wash it off—and the guy regained his sight.
Today, while there appears to be a dramatic increase in the number of miraculous and instant healings, it doesn’t happen every time. Did I ask God to remove the cancer? Yes. Did others pray for my healing? Yes. Did it occur in the way I desired? No. In my case, God chose to use his amazing cast of characters to accomplish my healing.
Now I thank him for the support of my family, the prayers of friends, the wisdom and skill of my doctors, the compassion of so many nurses, the effectiveness of medications; but above all, for the hand of God himself.
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