Finding the Way…Reflections From Pastor Eric

I arrived in the hospital last Wednesday for may open heart coronary bypass surgery & was discharged on Sunday morning. There are many things I’ve learned through this ordeal, but one stands apart from the rest – the “Patient Gown!”

I was the first to arrive in the surgery suite for pre-op preparation at 6am. And the very first thing I did was to shed my clothes, all my clothes, & put on the dreaded patient gown. Before I knew it the IV’s were in, the surgical site was prepped, & I was out for the next 10 hours. When I awakened, nothing was the same. My body certainly did not feel the same. The pain was beyond description. But there was one constant, my patient gown!

I learned to embrace this gown, in more ways than one. I realized that the patient gown identified me as a patient. There are many people who go through a hospital on a given day. There are MD’s, RN’s, PT’s, OT’s, CNA’s, RT’s, PTA’s, & more. And then their are the administrators, & of course all the visitors. Everyone has a role to play. There is an unspoken hierarchy based upon the title of each individual. And this is true even of the visitors. But the patient, every patient, is simply a person in need of medical care. There is no patient hierarchy. We are all sick. We are all in need of medical care. We all need to humble ourselves before those who will help us while donning our patient gowns.

Prior to this experience, I have identified myself as a doctor, a surgeon, a pastor, a father, a husband, a follow of Jesus. I donned these titles with pride. But last Wednesday that changed. And the patient gown was a constant reminder that I was not a doctor or a pastor, but rather a patient in need of care. That’s when I realized we all need to put on our “patient gowns” at the foot of the cross. Paul tells us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” in Romans 3:23. In other words, we all have patient gowns. And for those who embrace their gowns by confessing their sin & stripping away all the titles, money, & things that make then feel like more than a patient, forgiveness is theirs (1 John 1:9). While wearing that ugly patient gown, we receive the power of life over death, victory over sin, & healing over disease (Romans 5:8).

Though I’ve been discharged home & left the patient gown at the hospital, it is my prayer that I will never forget again that I am a man in need of God’s healing power first & foremost. In this way, I desire to always embrace the “patient gown.” This is lesson I plan to implement in to every aspect of my life every day.