Pushing Back the Darkness

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Suzanne Montgomery

Garrett and friends: Haiti 2011

The dark days of winter are sometimes difficult to bear. At least now we are beyond the winter solstice and the days are slowly lengthening again. For the end of the year, I have been reading Revelation, the last book of the Bible, the bookend of history. It can be a dark and sometimes scary read. But there is light in the darkness, the one constant in history: Jesus. He comes in the clouds in the very first chapter. He is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. This is comforting as I read of the hard times to come. It’s not difficult to imagine that the world as we know it will come to an end. We have had the power to destroy ourselves for some time now. I’m surprised in some ways that it hasn’t happened yet. Evil is being held back for a time. We are a part of the holding back whenever we do good-we push back the darkness. I believe that each of us has daily opportunities to do this with a hug, a smile, an encouraging word. We do this when we stand up for what is right. Mercy and Justice. Grace and Truth. These must always be paired together and balanced. One without the other is either legalism or chaos. We have choices every day and in every situation. What or who do I follow? If we don’t push against evil, we are a part of it. This may sound like a strong statement but complacency never absolves us of responsibility. Albert Einstein was quoted as saying, “The world will never be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

This is so true. How many times do I find myself thinking, “Why didn’t anyone step in to stop this?” or “Why didn’t anyone help?” It’s reminiscent of the story of the Good Samaritan as told by Dr. Luke in the gospels. Who was it that helped the man hurt by the side of the road? It wasn’t his own people but a despised Samaritan. I think we sometimes miss the audacity of Jesus’ story to his 1st century readers. In today’s terms, this would be like a Palestinian stopping to help an injured Israeli after 2 of his own people have passed him by. Unheard of? Not in the kingdom of God. In Jesus there is no division of race, gender or social status. We’re all children of God called to help each other-no matter what. Together we are to push against the darkness that threatens to obliterate the world on a daily basis-one brave act of goodness at a time.

Do I do this personally or do I contribute to the darkness? I would have to admit the answer is both. I can be kind one moment and then cruel and selfish the next. It seems that there is an outward battle between good and evil and an inward battle that rages in me. The outward battle will never be won unless the inward battle is victorious first. The only way to win either of these battles is to enlist Jesus as my captain. Without him I only have human effort to help me and this is woefully lacking. If I let him lead me, then I am successful. But the reins of control are difficult to hand over to him. I keep trying to take them back over and over again. This is my spiritual journey: to learn to give control of my life to the all-wise One with trust and confidence. Confidence that the end of the story is true. Evil does not triumph. Light will overcome the darkness. God wins!

Sabbath Rest

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Suzanne Montgomery

Wednesday-day of rest, day of peace. Wednesday I’m out of the office. I have so much to do to get ready for Christmas but my soul needs rest. The Lord knew we needed Sabbath. A day of rest is not a mandate, it is a gift. How often I do not accept this gift. My Sabbath is caught in little bits of time set aside for contemplation, writing and prayer. Often Wednesday mornings, even though I could sleep in, I don’t. I get up for my breakfast and coffee. I read a chapter of scripture and write. If I truly want rest for my soul, I don’t check emails or Facebook. That’s difficult sometimes.

We live in a culture that’s on the go constantly. Our schedules are packed to the brim and overflowing. I’m used to a schedule of 15 minute increments moving from room to room seeing patients. This puts me in a constant state of anticipating what’s next. I’m sure I’m not the only one on this treadmill. I envy my friends who have retired and now set their own schedules. I wonder sometimes if I will be bored with retirement since I am used to so much activity. Somehow I think my retirement time will be full as well.

So how do we step out of this craziness? I believe we do it one choice at a time. We choose to make our schedules overly busy. Granted some things are out of our control, but if we really look closely, many choices are ours. I remember a particularly hectic early morning when my kids were still little. Their dad was off to the airport to travel out of the country for his job and I had just had a call from labor and delivery that my patient was ready to start pushing. We had to call Dan’s mom to come over to watch the kids since we both had to leave the same time. It was 4 am! I looked at Dan and said, “Something has to change! Either you quit your job or I quit mine. We can’t make a habit of doing this.” This was an epiphany of sorts. It wasn’t long after this that things began to change. Dan quit his job to start his own business and I gave up OB. Both of these choices kept us home much more. Our lives were still super busy but not crazy busy. There is a difference.

When my patients tell me that they can’t slow down, I give them this personal example. Yes, everyone can slow down and set aside some Sabbath time if they choose. Everyone has areas in their life in which they just need to say “NO”. If we say “yes” to every request and activity, we are no good in any of them. My first step in this direction was when I came to the realization that I don’t need to do it all. I thought as a physician that I needed to see patients in the office, in the hospital, in the nursing home, deliver babies and try to be Super Mom. I tried this for a while. Believe me, it doesn’t work. I loved my OB patients and I delivered babies for the first 10 years of practice. But cutting this out made a huge difference. Now if I said I was going to be somewhere, I didn’t have to worry that I would be called out. I rarely had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night anymore.

So why did I keep doing this for 10 years? Was it pride or was it guilt that if I didn’t do it all, I wasn’t good enough? Maybe it was a bit of both. But either way, thinking we must “do it all”, whatever that means to each of us, is a falsehood. We need to just get rid of that thought right now. Take an inventory of all your activities. Do this with your kids activities too. Which ones need to stay and which ones need to go? Usually those activities that enhance relationships are keepers. Simplify Christmas too. Everything does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. I need to keep telling myself this over and over. It’s Jesus birthday. I bet it wasn’t Mary’s idea to deliver him in a stable. Do I need to say more?

Sabbath rest does not have to be on a Sunday but it does have to be a choice. Soul rest is just as important as a good night’s sleep. Now take a deep breath and find your Sabbath.

Gifted Hands

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Suzanne Montgomery

Wednesday evening I had the privilege of accompanying my dad to hear Dr. Ben Carson speak at an event in downtown Indianapolis supporting Man in the Mirror ministries. If you haven’t heard of Dr. Ben, you might remember the movie produced several years ago entitled “Gifted Hands.” It detailed his life from poverty to becoming a world-famous pediatric neurosurgeon. He was the first to successfully perform the separation of Siamese twins conjoined at their heads. Before his speech, I actually had the chance to speak briefly with him and shake his hand. What an honor.

Dr. Ben Carson is a soft-spoken man with a powerful message. If I were to put his message into one word or phrase, it would be “self-responsibility.” Really I should re-word this “personal responsibility” because the kind of responsible caring he proposes is not just for yourself but also for others. He encourages individuals to take ownership of their actions, focus on opportunities not roadblocks and not accept the role of a victim. He suggests that we all must take the responsibility to offer ladders to those who are downtrodden, helping them step out of poverty-not just physical poverty, but poverty of the mind and the spirit also. He started out very poor himself but didn’t accept that he was going to stay there. Education was his way out of the projects in Detroit. But he had to choose to take that path. If he had followed his peers, by his own admission, he would not have made it out.

Dr. Ben credits his mother for much of his success. She was always his encourager. As a single mom, she worked 3 jobs to support he and his brother and did not accept being a victim herself. She wanted her boys to have the opportunity for a better life. She observed that those who accepted welfare never got off of it so she chose another way so they would not become dependant on hand outs. She found creative ways to stretch her dollars as far as she could. Reading was of utmost importance in their household. The boys had to read 2 books a week from the library and give her book reports in writing. Little did the boys know then but she didn’t even know how to read herself. Nevertheless, she instilled a love of books and learning in them that made all the difference.

As a boy of 8 years old, Ben decided he wanted to become a doctor but the road was not easy. He was nearly derailed several times. His biggest hurdle was himself. As a teenager, he was plagued with an uncontrollable anger. It wasn’t until he nearly stabbed another person that he came to his senses. He discovered the Proverbs in the Bible and started reading and absorbing their lessons. With prayer and the wisdom gained from this study, he was able to overcome his anger and avoid following the same destructive path as many other young black men that were his peers. His life is a testament to God’s power to change a life in a willing person. He has become a gifted neurosurgeon who has helped thousands of children in his career. He is a man after God’s own heart-a modern day David.

In his final words to the audience, Dr. Ben asked that the next time we sing the Star Spangled Banner, we ponder the last stanza. We live in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Many in past generations gave their lives to give us our freedom. He challenged us all by asking, “What will WE do for future generations to ensure their freedom?” To be free and to remain free, we must be brave as our forefathers were brave, willing to give our very lives to maintain this precious privilege called freedom.