I have a very hard time reading this and am pulled every which way on this issue. On the one hand, I want to join the majority, and the court, and pretty much just say this guy was an idiot and should have gotten his daughter the treatment she deserved. On the other hand, I admire his faith, even if it didn’t bring about the end result that he had hoped for. I struggle with this because I believe that yes, God does call people into the medical field in order to help us but at the same time, He doesn’t do that so that modern medicine can take His place.
So where do we draw the line between being naive and living in total, reckless abandonment and trust in the Lord? I don’t really know.
I’ve asked myself this a lot lately. A lot. Many beliefs and opinions I’ve started to cling onto lately are very radical, far from what society is teaching. I don’t want a savings account when I start working. I don’t believe in college funds. I’m not planning on using the mosquito net I’m bringing with me on the Race unless I get beyond miserable. I whole-heartedly believe if I get malaria on this trip, it is going to be a blessing from the Lord and it is meant to happen for the good of me and my team. I want to move into inner-city Chicago when I come back from the Race. I want to live in an intentional community and pool my money with others so we can provide for those in our community. I’m not scared if we decide to take in a homeless person to live with us. I want to completely sell out to God. I have complete and total faith that should a time come when I need savings for some reason, God will provide. I don’t believe I should be storing that up and keeping that from meeting others needs. I believe this goes against Jesus’ teachings (Mt 6:19, Lk 12:13-21) and robs our fellow brothers and sisters of what we could be providing to them.
Where do you draw the line between being naïve and living in total, reckless abandonment and trust in the Lord?
I want to sell out completely to God. I don’t want to hold anything back from Him. I don’t want to rely more on modern medicine or the money in the bank than I do on my God. I want to live my life in complete and total surrender and in a way where I need to have faith in the Lord. I want to live the motto of the simple way, “To Love God. To Love People. To Love Jesus.” I don’t care about my life on this earth because it doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s simply not my destiny; it’s not what matters. I am “a flower quickly fading, a wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind.” I am merely passing through until I reach my final place before my Lord and until then, I will not be happy with devoting my life to anything but Him.
So where do I draw the line? I don’t. I just don’t think you can.
My little disclaimer: By writing this I’m not saying I 100% agree with the actions of the father I mentioned earlier nor do I think the court is entirely wrong in finding him at fault….I simply just don’t know where I draw the line with cases like that.
