Lessons from a Waiting Room - Martin Wiles

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalm 27:14 NLT

My wife and I were once frequent flyers at the local emergency room. On one occasion, my wife had unexpected fluid gain and abdominal pain. Her last visit led to a brief stay in the hospital. My visit involved a minor bleeding issue. 

Although we learned some lessons from waiting in the emergency room, both of us agreed we were sick of going there. But I don’t have to visit an emergency room or even a doctor’s office to experience the benefits of waiting. Life is filled with waiting rooms of various sorts. It was when the psalmist wrote the above words. 

In life’s waiting rooms, I’ve learned things don’t often happen as quickly as I wish. This predicament develops what the psalmist calls patience—a worthy virtue but not one that’s always enjoyable to develop. A typical emergency room stay in our small town is four hours. As much as one hour in the waiting room itself and then three more waiting on doctors and nurses to do what they are going to do. 

Waiting rooms have also taught me that life is unfair. When I see people who don’t have and can’t afford insurance. When I see people who’ve been abused by others or who’ve had crimes committed against them. And when I see people addicted to drugs who are making a visit to get a pain fix. Or when I see bodies mangled by wrecks. 

But waiting rooms should develop compassion in me. When I see and hear about the various conditions that bring people in for emergency care, my heart reaches out to them. I wish I could intervene. I thank God for his grace that has kept me from being in a similar situation.

Additionally, in the waiting room, I learned that unfortunate situations often get better. Yes, some die in the emergency room, but many more are assisted in a way that eventually leads to their healing. Trials have an end, and God determines it. 

Finally, waiting rooms remind me I affect only a few of my life events. God, however, controls them all, and I must trust him with the trial, the length of the trial, and the outcome. 

When life puts you in the waiting room, take time to learn important life lessons. 

Father, give me the faith to trust you when you allow me to spend time in the waiting room. 

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The Frustration of the Unknown - Martin Wiles

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT

After numerous doctor visits with no answers, my wife and I lapsed into the frustration of the unknown. 

The unknown began after a recent move. My wife lifted an item and felt a stabbing pain. Thinking she had pulled the mesh from a recent hernia surgery, we visited the general surgeon. After testing, he determined it was only scar tissue. 

Then, unexplained weight gain led to a trip to the emergency room and then to the cardiologist. Pills to reduce her fluid didn’t work. More tests followed. One revealed an enlarged spleen and liver. 

We re-visited the general surgeon who sent her to a kidney specialist. In the meantime, the cardiologist sent her to a gastroenterologist.

Weeks and months passed between the tests and doctor visits. Our frustration mounted as we waited for answers, trying not to imagine the worst. 

Paul could have also been frustrated by the unknown. Would he survive the persecutions or the trip to stand trial before the Roman emperor? Would his friends betray him? Instead, he did what he advised others to do.

Praying about the unknown is crucial. Every night, I prayed for my wife to have the strength to face whatever lay ahead and for God to give the doctors the wisdom to find the cause of her dilemma. 

Trusting is also important in times of the unknown. God promises never to let us down, regardless of life’s challenges. We can trust him to work things for our good—even things that appear bad. He has our best interests at heart. 

Additionally, believing God is sovereign helps control the anxiety and frustration level. If he isn’t, we have an even larger problem than the things causing our frustrations.

In my wife’s case, I believed God could guide the doctors to discover the reason for her health concerns and to give her the proper treatment. I also believed he could heal her without the doctor’s intervention, if he chose. 

Don’t let the frustration of the unknown lead you to doubt, anger, bitterness, or unbelief in a loving God. Instead, believe God loves you and has your situation under control. 

Father, we trust you to guide us safely into and through the unknowns of our lives. 

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Self-Examined - Martin Wiles

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT

Examinations can disturb or self-assure.

Most doctors suggest routine examinations. After all, our bodies deteriorate as we age, and some things naturally happen and are shared among humans. Bones get more brittle. Eyesight deteriorates. Skin thins. Joints wear out. Certain types of cancer appear at certain ages; therefore, doctors recommend scans and procedures at certain ages. Fifty is often the dreaded number.

During a typical examination, doctors do similar things: check the lungs, listen to the heart, test the reflexes, poke around on the stomach, feel the neck, check the pulse, measure the blood pressure, take blood samples, and schedule procedures. Abnormalities in any of these areas can signal more serious concerns. Some choose not to visit doctors and never suffer any health concerns. Others decide on regular check-ups and discover things that could have been life-threatening had they been neglected. If a person has had specific health issues, the doctor may suggest they execute periodic self-examinations.

Paul makes two imperative statements: examine yourselves and test yourselves. Imperative sentences give commands or directions or make strong suggestions. His concern deals with a life-threatening situation: whether or not a person is a believer.

A good self-examination will determine whether I’ve decided to follow Jesus Christ. Am I in the faith? Have I asked Him to forgive my sins? Do I obey Him wholeheartedly? Is His mission mine?

Self-examination will also investigate how we feel when we sin. Does it bother me, or do I dismiss it as just a human mistake—something not to be overly concerned about? Do I imagine God will merely overlook it?

When we self-examine, we should consider our priorities and why we do what we do. What motivates my good deeds and actions toward others? Is it selfishness? Am I pandering after recognition? Or do I serve because I love with a sacrificial love as God does?

Self-examination will also reveal how we feel about sin in general. Evidence of it saturates our everyday lives. Media sources shove it in our faces continuously. Have I built immunity against it, or do wicked and immoral actions still shock and concern me?

Get in the habit of performing regular self-examinations under the guiding hand of God’s Spirit. You might be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by what you uncover.

Father, prompt me to regularly examine myself to discover where I am in my faith walk with You.  

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When Fear Takes Over - Martin Wiles

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 NLT

He flailed his arms and feet, screaming and crying. When fear takes over, we often act irrationally. 

A trip to an urgent care center can be traumatic for a six-year-old boy who doesn’t know what’s going to happen. And one of our grandsons didn’t.

As his schoolteacher passed back papers, he happened to move his head at the same time she gave him his paper. The edge of the paper slid into the corner of his eye, giving him a paper cut—a painful experience under any circumstances. The teacher immediately sent him to the school nurse who examined him and sent a text to his mom. 

By the time I picked him up after school, he covered his eye with his hand and complained that he couldn’t open it. What happened? Does it hurt? Can you see out of it? Don’t rub it with your hand. I asked all the questions and said all the things a good grandparent should. But Meme asked more questions and said, “He needs to go to the doctor.” 

Meme loaded him up and carted him to an urgent care center—a place he’d been several years before for a cut in his cornea. Perhaps he remembered the trauma—and the patch. He was in no mood to let the nurse or doctor insert the drops that would illuminate his eye. 

By this time, his mom had arrived. With the help of two nurses, one mom, and one Meme, the doctor finally dropped the drop in his eye. Fortunately, the cut only affected the corner of his eye. No major damage. He would only need some antibiotic drops. But my grandson’s emotions were another story. Hours passed before he stopped crying and settled down. 

Meme picked up the antibiotic drops the next day. When I came home from work, she said, “You’re gonna have to help me put these drops in his eyes.” I tried. The scene from the day before repeated itself. Flailing legs and arms. Squinted eyes. Crying and screaming. We finally gave up, and I texted his mom: “Good luck with the eye drops.” Her only recourse was to put them in after he went to sleep and before he awoke in the morning. 

I remember a fearful time when I wasn’t much older than my grandson. The time when an infected finger drove me to the emergency room and resulted in a shot and a removed fingernail. I, too, screamed at the top of my lungs. 

Fear kept our grandson from cooperating, even though what we tried to do was for his own good. Fear also crept over Jesus’ disciples when He told them He would be crucified. Afterward, He would be resurrected and ascend to His Father in heaven. In their coming moments of fear, however, He would leave them peace of mind and heart through the presence of His Spirit. 

Fear has disadvantages and benefits. Unhealthy fear takes over. We don’t understand what’s happening to or around us because we’re traveling in unchartered territory or don’t trust the One orchestrating our circumstances. 

Good fear leads us to take precautions to protect ourselves, our health, and the others we love. Perfect love—the kind God gives—casts out fear and leads us to let go and trust God. We’re always safe with Him. 

What can you do when fear grips you?

Father, thank You for not giving me a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. 

Tweetable: What do you do when fear takes over? 

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