I Want To Save Lives
I hate needles.
Seriously, ever since I was a little kid, I have had a strong dislike for anything sharp that is meant to penetrate my epidermis.
Yesterday, I visited our local Quest Diagnostics to have some blood taken from my arm. This is one of the great “benefits” of being on a cholesterol reduction medication. I must have my blood work done on a regular basis to make sure my cholesterol levels and sugar levels are healthy. The medicine I take has definitely helped over the years to lower my cholesterol levels, and I’m pretty sure my diet modifications over the past couple of years is making a huge difference as well. Based on my last blood test results, there is a chance I may be able to stop the cholesterol medication. We’ll see.
Enough about my cholesterol health.
Since I have such a disdain for needles, I always let the phlebotomist know I’m squeamish when it comes to taking blood out of my arm. (Who wants a 6′ 6″ 200 pound man fainting in their office?) To help cut the tension, I usually talk and look the other way as they proceed to prick my arm. It’s a way to keep me distracted. As the phlebotomist was drawing my blood, we talked about my family, and she asked about my job. She asked, “Are you a doctor? You look like someone who saves lives.”
This wasn’t just a pickup line (at least from what I could tell). She was serious. For some reason, she thought I was in the business of saving people’s lives.
I told her I was an engineer.
As I walked out of the office with the band-aid on my arm, I couldn’t help but thing of her question and statement.
I know I don’t have the stomach to be a doctor, but I want to be in the business of saving people’s lives.
What does it look like to save someone’s life?
It could mean giving someone CPR. It could mean donating your blood or your organs to someone. It could mean pushing someone off the tracks to avoid an oncoming train. It could, but I think it could be simpler yet more life changing.
Saving someone’s life could simply be a matter of introducing them to Jesus Christ. It could be through words. And it could definitely be through actions that lead to words. Ultimately, this is the way to really save someone’s life. If I really want to save someone’s life, I have to be alert, prepared, open to the opportunities, and intentional to step through the open doors.
One of my favorite verses is found in Colossians 4:
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6
This is what it looks like to save someone’s life. This is the kind of live saver I want to be!