All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,
but it is the LORD who proves hearts.
To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
A big part of the chaplain's job is to listen to patients. If I preach the gospel it's by silence, and the gospel message is, "You are beloved in God's eyes." By my listening I hope the Veteran feels valued and esteemed. He or she is caught up in a vast machine -- for what is this huge boxlike structure with water mains, gas lines and electric wires but a machine? -- of caregivers, protocols, gadgets and bureacracies that, operating at full speed and under intense pressure, can seem intimidating at best. As a chaplain I have the time to listen to the Veteran's complaints about medical issues, anxieties, or war stories that no one else wants to hear.
I often meet patients described in that proverb above: "a man may be right in his own eyes." He is quite certain of his learning, experience and politics. He knows what tastes good and what tastes bad. His judgments are sure and his verdicts are certain, regardless of what others may think of the same food. This patient knows that some people -- most people! -- are fools. He is dead certain that members of the other political party intend to destroy our American way of life.
...but it is the LORD who proves hearts.
Sometimes, after this opinionated patient has exhausted his supply of dicta he becomes more congenial and may actually engage in the give and take of conversation. He may allow another person with another perspective to actually exist in his world. He might hear something he has never heard, or recognize that which he has dismissed. He might even realize that he is more than his opinions. If I have done my job of listening the Veteran feels secure that, with his anxieties, uncertainties and critical medical issues, he is welcome in the hospital. With that assurance, with a sense of being king of his own castle, though it's only a hospital room, he may receive guests, including the chaplain.
To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Veterans coming into the hospital for medical care sometimes think, "I can spend these three days in the hospital and then get back to normal." Or, if they're here for alcohol rehab, "...these four weeks and then get back to normal."
In other words, the "sacrifice" of a period of time in the hospital should be "acceptable to the Lord." It's all I have to do to "get right with God." But that ain't the way it works.
Doing what is right and just often involves, like the Sacrifice of Isaac, "more than I can afford."
Rehabilitation is more than taking a few pills, more than going to church on Sunday, more than avoiding salt, more than hitting the gym once a week. Recovery wants everything, beginning with obedience to the will of God. Doing what is right and just is more acceptable than the sacrifices we can afford.
We should get up each day and summon that Spirit of eager willingness, "Here I am, Lord!" What would you have me do?
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.