There has been a lot of talk this year about the Christmas Star with Saturn and Jupiter coming closer together than they have in years in the night sky. Some folks got to see the "Christmas star" this year in the sky, but other didn't. For some they didn't see it because of clouds, or because of too much light, or because they just didn't go outside and look. As I have been reading the Christmas Story during this Advent Season, I have reflected some on the Wise Men - those Magi who traveled from a far away land, using the Star to guide them to Jesus. They were dependent on the star (as the Bible suggests), that if it wasn't for the star, they wouldn't have found Jesus, they wouldn't have found the Savior. If that were true this year, if the "Christmas Star" that appeared in the sky the other night - was the only way that anyone had to find Jesus - we would be in trouble. Clouds, too much light, and disinterest caused many not to see it, and would have caused many not to find Jesus. Thankfully - it isn't just the star that we have to guide us to Jesus today.
We had Chaplain interviews this week, and as I talked to some of the pastors about what their job might look like as a Chaplain, we talked about evangelism and leading folks to Christ who don't know Christ. When I asked them how they would do that, many of their responses were - through my life. They can see Jesus through how I live my life. The same things that hindered folks from seeing the Christmas Star, can also hinder folks from seeing Jesus in our lives, there can be too many distractions, too much light or noise from all that we are involved, and just a level of disinterest - but it doesn't mean we don't try. Sure for some, our lives aren't going to affect the people we encounter, but for others, our love and care for them is the only star they are going to have leading them to Jesus, and I hope that I keep pointing folks the right direction.
As a doctor in a mission hospital, I am faced with a lot of hard situations, and have to tell too many people that our options for helping them are limited on this earth, and I hope and pray that my ability to be a star in this situations helps some to see and look to Jesus, but at times I come home and know there are ways I could have done it better.
This week, I told a mom that her 2 yo son likely has a cancer of the muscles of his leg and may need an amputation. The grip she had on her son intensified as the tears started streaming down her face and she hugged him tighter, unsure how much time she had left with him. Her questions of what we could do, of what options we have, of what this means were all the right questions to ask. I fought back my own tears, and I did the best I could to answer them and to try and be a Star for her, pointing her to Jesus in the midst of this difficult time.
I had a mom who just delivered her 5th baby and yet kept bleeding. We gave her lots of IV fluids, we transfused her blood, we gave her medicines to try and stop the bleeding, and I even did a procedure to remove some of the placenta that was likely causing the bleeding, and yet when the blood kept coming - we had to have a hard decision about maybe needing a hysterectomy to save her life so she could look after her 5 kids and we prayed for wisdom. Since she was bleeding and the nurses were looking after her closely, I kept checking on her and getting called on her condition, to see if she was going to need surgery or not. I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out, and spent a lot of the night wondering/waiting for the call that she was bleeding heavily again. I came in this morning and saw a smile light up on her face, I knew that we were going to be okay, that she wasn't going to need an emergency surgery and that she should be able to walk out of her and care for her 5 kids. I hope that our care for her helped to point her to Jesus.
Being on the Delivery Ward this month, I have gotten to be the bearer of good news to many moms, that their premature babies are big enough to graduate from the nursery and that they should be able to go home soon. But for some moms, I have had to say sorry, the baby was too little, or the lungs weren't mature enough, or the infection was too much for the baby to handle. These are never easy, as the gift of life that they were anticipating going home with after 8-9 months of carrying this baby inside of them, isn't going to happen. I pray that our care for these grieving moms helps point them to Jesus.
I had a pastor, maybe in his early 60s, who came into clinic and found out that he had liver cancer. He wasn't expecting that news, and yet as we talked about what it meant, he was nothing but smiles and appreciation. He has known the Savior for years and looks forward to meeting him, and looks forward to using what time he has left to be a "Christmas Star" for others to see Jesus.
This year hasn't been easy for many, and many are hurting, and many need to know where they can look and find comfort and peace. I pray that this Christmas Season, we can all be like the Christmas Star - pointing those we are around to the Prince of Peace, to the gift that God sent us on a Christmas morning over 2000 years ago. Merry Christmas.
