Last Wednesday the CMDF (Christian Medical Dental Fellowship) had a welcome lunch for the newest batch of house officers. As chaplain I came along. Wasn’t sure if I had to say a few words of encouragement. As it turned out, I didn’t have to. A group of capable young doctors had everything planned, including a panel of speakers. I was delighted! It was about time! If I had had the chance to say something, though, I would have talked about the 4 Cs from Genesis that constitute a basic framework for life. I think I will share a bit about the 4Cs one by one. The first C — communion.
We read in Genesis 3:8a that the Lord regularly spent time with Adam and Eve. One can imagine a father and his children, or three friends walking together in deep communion. Human beings were created for a relationship with their Creator. This is our first and primary call. In Matthew we are told that the Messiah is Emmanuel, God with us. And a key way to understand this relationship is the realisation that to be a follower of Jesus is to become a child of God (Romans 8:14–16). If our first call is to a relationship with God, our primary identity, then, is child of God.
In life we have many identities, including some important ones, like friends, spouses, and parents. But the primary identity that should ground us is child of God. All of us with demanding professions have to make sure we remember this. We are not first doctor or pastor. We are children of the living God.
This has many ramifications. For one thing, it means the primary source of my self-worth is not my profession. It is in the fact that God loved me enough to create me, for Jesus to die for my sins, and for God to adopt me as His child. Secure in my primary identity, the fact that I am God’s child, I am free to do my best and to grow in whatever I have been called to do. A part of that growth will include making mistakes and learning from them. But since my primary source of self-worth is not career success, I can embark on my adventure of learning and growth, a journey of becoming a better pastor, doctor, etc.
Indeed, if we don’t nurture our walk with God, we will find in the long run that no amount of success in this world will be enough to satisfy the soul. The following quote by Augustine is often cited:
You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.
In the end we will all affirm it to be true. That is why at every chapter of life we want to make sure that we cultivate an intimate relationship with Abba.
Our relationship with God, like all relationships, needs time to be nurtured. One study showed that the strength of a relationship was linked to how much quality time was invested into the relationship. When life circumstances change we need to relook at how we spend time with Abba. The change from being a medical student to being a qualified doctor is a major change, especially in the demanding phase of “house-officership”.
How will we abide in Christ in this chapter of life? Where can we create space daily/weekly for Him? Can technology (suitable apps) help? Maybe we need to use some of our leave for short retreats to reboot our spirituality? Of course we should also chat with seniors and ask how they did it.
Worshipping with our church families is still a key discipline, though. But as house officers we may no longer be as regular in church activities, with being on call now a regular reality. I hope your church leaders will understand. If not, it may be time for some heart-to-heart talk with sympathetic church leaders.
Life is full of changes, some more major than others. These can be moments that distract us from our walk with God. They can also be times for us to decide afresh what life is really about and what is really important. These are times to reaffirm our primary identity as children of God and to PGF, “put God first”.