Fear Man and Not God (Psalm 118:6)

Before I began my medical residency, I was deathly afraid of not being prepared to function as a physician. My residency began in Denver, Colorado and I went there a month early, just so that I could read and outline 5 major medical textbooks. Although the experience certainly helped me in my residency, I asked myself, “Why am I not as motivated in my spiritual life? Why did I not read and outline the Bible as compulsively as I read a medical textbook?”

The answer is simple. I feared man more than I feared God.

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
Psalm 118:6

I was more concerned over how my fellow residents and attending professors would view me. Instead of completely devoting my time to growing and deepening my relationship with God, I fretted about minutiae regarding esoteric diseases. There was no balance!

I still work at finding the balance. It is important, of course, to keep current with medicine. But for each hour I spend reading about the latest nuance of medical diseases, I make sure I spend at least the same, if not more time, reading God’s Word and praying.

Be balanced! God is on your side!

Aloha blessings!