Posts by Women Physicians and Dentists in Christ

Have you felt overwhelmed lately? Too much to do and too little time? Are you having trouble concentrating or even remembering things because you are so busy with life? I am sure you can answer yes to one or more of these questions because most people that I encounter these days, especially physicians, are overwhelmed. You may be overwhelmed with the office, EMR, family, church responsibilities or a combination of them all.

Have you felt overwhelmed lately? Too much to do and too little time? Are you having trouble concentrating or even remembering things because you are so busy with life? I am sure you can answer yes to one or more of these questions because most people that I encounter these days, especially physicians, are overwhelmed. You may be overwhelmed with the office, EMR, family, church responsibilities or a combination of them all.

Over the years, I’ve had patients describe to me how exhausted they feel caring for their elderly parents, even when they don’t live with them. Now I understand. When with them, I am constantly assessing how they’re managing, and I am watching for changes. When I’m away, any phone call could mean a disruption of my day or even a disaster. And if they don’t answer the phone when I call, I have to struggle not to panic.

Where do you find YOUR strength? Recently, I was convicted while reading Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s devotional book Come Empty: Pour Out Life’s Hurts and Receive God’s Healing Love. One of her studies quoted Isaiah 30 and, as I read the old prophet challenging Israel, I was reminded of the contrast between a medical training view and a biblical view of strength.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done” (Genesis 2:2, ESV). I recently had the opportunity to do a five-week Bible study at my church entitled Breathe: Making Room for Sabbath by Priscilla Shirer. Point #1 was about the importance of taking a Sabbath each week for our spiritual health. But it was much more than the traditional “take Sunday off.”

There are many things in this world to get addicted to, but I discovered a new one recently – jigsaw puzzles. Or rather one particular puzzle (if you’re interested, it’s a 1,000 piece Norman Rockwell “At the Doctor”) which combined seas of variegated gray-green with devilishly cunning piece arrangement – the better to mislead the unsuspecting puzzler. And all the symptoms of addiction were there: obsession, denial, loss of control, withdrawal from other more important activities. For about two weeks, when I closed my eyes, I saw gray-green.

While studying the life of Moses this year in a small group Bible study, I have savored learning about Moses—his triumphs, his failures, his leadership skills, his intimate relationship with Yahweh and how he foreshadows the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. I studied expectantly these wonderful truths, yet I somehow felt distant from the Israelites and their plight. It was as if I thought I am too different as a Gentile believer, redeemed by grace, and on this side of the cross to truly identify with the Jewish people, freed from a life of slavery and traveling to the promised land.

There is a definite lag time between what God is teaching me and what I have managed to learn, but—be that as it may—I think God is trying to teach me to slow down and include soul rest and relaxation in my list of daily essentials.

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him” (Psalm 40:1-3, NIV 2011).

God called me to be a missionary physician when I was 25 years old (all of us Christians are missionaries wherever we live). Eight years later, I am now in my second year of medical school at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. I thought that my long journey getting into medical school was difficult, but being here has taken the challenges to a whole new level – personally and academically. So if God has really called me to medicine, why have I been so miserable?