On Faith

During my 2ww, I did feel lost, and afraid. Maybe it was due to the long days of having nothing much to do.. especially as the blood test came nearer, feelings of potential disapointment crept in. Uncle Pig found an article for me to read, which I thought would be nice to share it here...

On Faith
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Phyllis, a patient who had an extensive pancreatic cancer that was no longer responding to treatment, went home to die. Several months later she returned to the office. One of my partners examined her. He opened the door of the examining room, and called me: " Hey, Bernie, you're interested in this stuff."

I came in and he said, "Her cancer is gone."
"Phyllis," I said, " tell them what happened."
She said, " Oh, you know what happened."
" I know that I know, " I said, "but I'd like the others to know."
Phyllis replied, " I decided to live to be a hundred and leave my troubles to God."

Peace of mind can heal anything. I believe faith is the essence, a simple solution, yet too hard for most people to practice.

Now I felt I had a dilemma: If God's love could cure people, I wondered, why should I remain a surgeon? So I returned to him and said, "God, you know one of my patients got well leaving her troubles to you. Why should I remain a surgeon? Why not just teach people to love?"

And God in his beautiful sweet, melodious voice said to me, " Bernie, render unto the surgeon what is the surgeon's and render unto God what is God's" (I find that God does that a lot - speaks in parables and leaves you totally confused.) Since then I've come to understand that God and I both have a role in getting people well.

Let me illustrate what I mean with an old story I've adapted.

A man with cancer is told by his primary physician he'll be dead in an hour. He runs to the window, looks up at the sky, and says " God, save me." Out of the blue comes that wonderful melodious voice saying, "DOn't worry, my son. I will save you." The man climbs back into bed, feeling reassured.

His physician calls me and I walk in and say, "If I operate in an hour, I can save you"

"No thanks, " says the man, "God will save me."

Then the oncologist, a radiation therapist and a nuritional therapist all tell him, "we can save you"

" I dont need you, God will save me," is his reply to all of them.

In an hour, the man dies. When he gets to heaven, he walks up to God and says, "what happened? u said you'd save me, and here i am dead."

" you dumbbell. I did try to save you. i sent u a surgeon, an oncologist, a radiation therapist and a nutritional therapist."

-- Adapted from Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul , by Bernie S. Siegel