“Be still, and know that I am God.”~Psalm 46:10
It was an unusually hot October day. I was driving home after a typically busy day of seeing patients in the clinic. During the drive, my mind was racing with a variety of thoughts. Did I make the right decisions on those difficult patients? Where should we go for dinner tonight? Should I come to clinic dressed up in a costume to entertain the pediatric patients for the upcoming Halloween day?
All these varied contemplations definitely distracted me from focusing on the duties of the drive. I was almost home when I rolled through the last stop sign without coming to a complete stop. Bad mistake! At the corner, on the other side of the street, was a sheriff waiting for someone to nab. Without mercy, he wrote a ticket for failure to come to a complete stop.
The next day, still reeling from my misfortune, I pulled into my parking space at the clinic. As I got out of my car, the security person greeted me courteously with a smile and complimented me on how nicely I was dressed. I began my day, continuing to provide care for my patients, while still trying to dismiss the negativity from the day before.
Without any particular reason, a mother of one of my first patients commented on how much she appreciated the way I treated her child. I finished the morning and drove to the hospital to make my midday rounds. After examining a newborn, I felt inspired to say a prayer for the baby. The parents agreed to my praying. After the prayer, the parents said that no doctor had ever offered to pray for them. They expressed their appreciation for my prayer.
Suddenly, I realized that my busy schedule had kept me from noticing, through encounters with people around me, the efforts from Above and God’s desire to cheer me up and assure me of His blessings. It was when I stopped to pray that my worry was replaced by peace.
The monetary fine for that traffic citation was trivial, compared to the penalty for my failure to stop and acknowledge the Great Physician. Fortunately, His grace provides us the assurance that He will provide for our every need. That is the reason He encourages us to stop, be quiet, and know that He is God.-Samuel Catalon, LLUSM, is an assistant clinical professor in LLUSM department of pediatrics.