The Storm at the Start
There was a day when I walked into clinic only to be greeted by a daunting sight: 27 patients lined up in my schedule, all within a 3-hour block. That meant less than 8 minutes for each patient. On top of that, I had no assistant.
Before the first patient even walked in, I felt the weight pressing down. The math didn’t add up. The pressure was real. And my frustration rose quickly.
The Immediate Response
I was upset. My first thought was frustration at the administration for failing to roster additional manpower. My mind was already racing ahead: How am I going to manage this? How will I get home on time?
I did what I could — I sent a message to the operations team. By God’s grace, help was sent. We managed to finish on time, even giving more complicated cases the attention they needed. What could have been a disaster turned into a blessing.
A Closer Look at My Heart
But afterward, I had to pause. Why was I so upset in the first place?
The truth was painful to admit. My frustration was not primarily about patients having to wait longer. It came from deeper roots in my heart:
- Unfairness – “Why am I left to handle this?”
- Selfishness – “Will I get home on time?”
- Pride – “I deserve more help.”
This episode revealed something uncomfortable. The storm in my heart wasn’t about the clinic workload — it was about me.
The Deeper Lesson
What I needed in that moment wasn’t better rostering, or even just more manpower. I needed to trust God’s provision.
And He did provide.
The episode became a mirror to my own soul: showing me the unfairness, selfishness, and pride lurking within — and pointing me again to Christ.
The Gospel Anchor
The gospel speaks right into situations like these. When I demand fairness, Jesus reminds me He bore ultimate unfairness on the cross. When I cling to selfishness, He shows me the self-giving love of His sacrifice. When I hold onto pride, He calls me to humility — the kind He modeled when He emptied Himself to serve.
God’s Word steadies me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)
In the clinic, in life, I am reminded: my security is not in perfectly planned schedules or in how others treat me, but in the faithful God who provides.
Moving Forward
I pray that next time I face a storm like this, I can respond differently. Instead of sharp frustration, gentler words. Instead of defensiveness, humility. Instead of relying on my own strength, trust in God’s.
Because the truth is — He never leaves, and He never fails.