Listening

The other evening while at work, I was having a typical Friday night- a veritable symphony of chaos. The clinic waiting room was packed, I was tired, and we were running behind. I went into one of the exam rooms to find an older gentleman who came in because his arm was a little swollen and was tender- "Not too bad," he said. He had surgery about a week before and had an IV placed in his left arm a little above the wrist, and it began bothering him a few days before coming to see me. That night, he went to the emergency room to have it checked; they said that he had superficial phlebitis in the area, placed him on ibuprofen, and sent him home to follow up with his surgeon if it didn't get better in a couple of days. On Friday, he called the surgeon's office, but no one was in so he came to InstaCare since his arm was still sore.

I must admit- his exam was pretty unremarkable. His arm was a little swollen, but it wasn't very tender, and his vital signs were normal...pretty routine. I was thinking of changing his medications to a different anti-inflammatory, but felt a distinct impression that I should send him over to the hospital to get an ultrasound of his arm. He really didn't meeet the criteria for an ultrasound but the impression got even stronger. So, I made the arrangements for the exam, sent him over, and went on to the next patient.

About 45 minutes later, I got a call from the ultrasound tech- the guy had a clot in the vein in his arm that extended from a spot about six inches above his wrist all the way around through the plumbing to the superior vena cava. This was a huge clot- and a very dangerous one, because if it broke free it would go to his lungs resulting in a pulmonary embolism which in his case would probably be fatal. I quickly made arrangements for him to be admitted to the hospital. Fortunately, the in-patient therapy worked, and he went home a few days later.

Now, I don't tell this story to brag on myself or tout my prowess as a diagnostician. Far from it- I was about one or two minutes from sending this guy home. The take-home lesson here is to pay attention to spiritual promptings as they come, and then to follow them.

In 1 Kings 19 we read about Elijah, who was living in a cave at a certain point in his ministry and was visited by the Lord. As the Lord passed by, there was a great wind follwed by an earthquake; the earthquake was followed by a fire. The Lord wasn't in the great wind, the earthquake, or the fire, because after these things happened there came a still small voice- the voice of the Lord.

We live very noisy, busy lives. Sometimes we so surround ourselves with technologies that serve to isolate and distract such that we can't hear the promptings that come. Sometimes our behavior causes static so that we can't tune in and feel the impressions that a loving Heavenly Father is sending our way. I know it happens to me often- I get caught up in the process at work, the hectic flow of the day, the distractions that I choose to give attention to, and fail to listen and feel the guidance that I really need each day to help me.

I am going to do a better job at this. How about you?