Curtis Peter Van Gorder
When
we put our faith into practice, we cross over from being
nominal believers to being instruments of God’s love. A
friend of mine, Jamal, who is a pharmacist, told me about
one of
his recent
“crossing over” experiences. It went like this.
One
day a young man handed Jamal his prescription to treat
insomnia. Jamal looked over the list of medicines and was
shocked. “Are you sure you want to take all of these
medicines?” he asked.
“Of course I am!” came the reply. “I can’t sleep, and it’s ruining my life!”
Jamal took a deep breath. “You
realize that some of these medicines
have strong side effects, don’t you?
Plus they are going to cost you a
fortune. If you don’t mind me
asking, why can’t a healthy-looking
fellow like you sleep?”
The
young man looked troubled. “Because
from the moment I lay my head on the
pillow, I can’t stop thinking about
my future!”
“What about it?” Jamal asked.
The
young man proceeded to explain his
problems in detail, and Jamal
listened patiently. Then Jamal
offered some fatherly advice. “Our
future is in God’s hands, and He
wants us to be happy and fulfilled.
When we give our hearts to Him and
communicate with Him about the
things we do and the choices we
make, He is able to step in and help
us. We also find peace of mind and
can stop worrying about our future
as we become more aware of His
loving plan for our lives.”
The
young man nodded in agreement, but
his mind seemed to still be on his
problems. “My doctor also wants to
treat me once a week with electric
shocks,” he said matter-of-factly.
Jamal grimaced. “What? There has to
be a better solution than that!”
“But what?” the young man asked.
Jamal said a silent
prayer for wisdom and
was suddenly inspired
with an idea. “I have a
friend who works as a
trainer in a gym, and I
think he might be able
to help. I suggest you
go see him.”
That seemed like a good
idea to the young man,
and he headed straight
to the gym.
A couple of hours later
Jamal phoned his friend
to find out how it had
gone.
“I put him on a
treadmill as soon as he
came in,” the trainer
said, “and he’s still at
it. He’s got so much
pent-up energy, it’s no
wonder he hasn’t been
able to sleep!”
A few days later the
young man returned to
the pharmacy and
excitedly told Jamal,
“I’ve started going to
the gym every day, and
I’ve slept soundly every
night since!”
“What about your
prescription?” Jamal
asked.
“I threw it away. And by
the way, you were right.
God knew exactly what I
needed!”
Curtis Peter Van Gorder is a full-time volunteer with the Family International in the Middle East.
