And In Touch With Reality

A few days ago, I went out for a community outreach. There were a lot of clients, but I was the only doctor there to attend to them. Before I arrived, everyone present had been given a number tag to maintain order, but naturally those whose numbers fell far from the beginning weren’t too happy because it meant they would have to wait a long while, and didn’t even have a guarantee that they would be attended to that day.

While I was sitting and attending to those who had come earlier, I noticed an old man all bent and unsteady, standing in front of my table. He was saying something about his number being too far from the beginning, and that I should take his number (I’m not sure whether he meant his phone or serial).

I explained to him that if he was leaving because he couldn’t wait, that was fine, and that the next day we would continue from whatever number we stopped at on the first day. No matter what I said, he continued mumbling in the little broken English he could speak that I should take his number.

I really couldn’t figure out what he wanted until another man who was watching the drama came and explained to me that the old man just wanted to be attended to quickly, and that was the point of the grammar.

I couldn’t believe how I didn’t see that coming. I guess I had been so much of a stickler for order at that point that I didn’t notice a greater need right in front of my nose. Needless to say, the man was attended to, and I was able to continue working.

God is good. There is no evil found in Him. In fact, the bible tells us His eyes are “too pure to look at evil”¹

But does that make Him unaware of the evil constantly besetting and buffeting us? No it doesn’t.

God is good but He is not naïve, He knows all man’s antics². Yes He does, for the same bible says, “We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all--all but the sin.”³

God is good, but He too has been faced with evil, He just didn’t bow. Bowing to evil is sin, and that He can’t take.

Are you weary or weak, and aren’t sure how to tell Him about it? God is so good, He can understand it however you tell it.

The 5,000 men besides women and children⁴ didn’t ask for food, yet He fed them. Trust Him to do the same for you, then don’t forget to thank Him however you can.

¹ Hab 1:13

² Prov 5:21

³ Heb 4:15

⁴ Mat 14:13-21