You Make a Difference: Healthcare HeroesSample

Good Medicine

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. PROVERBS 17:22 NIV

Everyone loved Dr. Harry. He had been a staple within the community for years and loved helping others. For Dr. Harry, being a physician was more than a job; it was a calling. In all his years of practicing medicine, he never once turned down a patient who did not have the resources to pay.

In the early days, he often received payment for medical services in the form of crops. Those within the community were extremely poor, and many had to choose between medicine and food. No one else wanted to offer medical services in this community; every time someone came in to help, they became overwhelmed and found a reason to excuse themselves. Dr. Harry’s day started at 6:00 a.m. and often ended well after dinnertime. Although he was inundated with patients, he never became frustrated or complained about all the work.

Throughout the day, he sat with his patients and heard their complaints while offering a dose of hope. He had a great sense of humor and typically ended each patient encounter with a laugh. At the bedside and in the office, Dr. Harry was known for providing good medicine. Dr. Harry worked in the small community for more than fifty years and impacted many with his “good medicine.” On the night of his retirement, the entire community came to wish him well and thank him for all his years of service. One special former patient came forward and thanked Dr. Harry for saving his legs when he was injured in a bicycle accident as a child. This young man went on to become a physician himself and later served as the new “Dr. Harry” for the community. With tears in his eyes, Dr. Harry responded, “It was more than medicine; it was my passion.”

GRACIOUS FATHER, thank You for your unfailing compassion and love toward me. Throughout each day, help me to remember You in everything I do. Help me extend the same compassion and love to others as You have shown me. May I offer Your “good medicine” to everyone I meet. Amen.