A visit to the doctors

I am a lucky person, lucky in the sense that I very rarely get ill. I have in the past had many times I have needed to go to the doctors or the hospital but mostly that has been for other people or through my many self inflicted injuries. But today I had to bite the bullet and go to the doctors, after nearly 4 days in pain I could not go any longer without sleep and being off work again is driving me insane.

But life is never quite that simple, last night everyone in my house came down with a bug, lovingly shared by my elder brother and his family, which meant that getting to the doctors now was going to be a lot more of an effort. But regardless I made it there, after half an hour managed to get registered at the surgery since my GP was still in the city where I studied at university, and I waited. It was like waiting for an eternity, feeling absolutely rotten, surrounded by ill people who all seemed to be staring at me for being an outsider even though I grew up in this small town.

Eventually I managed to see a doctor who after some time checking stupid things like my breathing, stupid because I went to him with an injured neck not respiratory problems, he finally began to prod and poke at my neck. After subjecting me to a series of examinations which I personally believe would have been covered by the Geneva convention due to their agonising outcomes he told me what I already knew. "Sir, you have a sore neck", well I never would have guessed that, and it took you 5 years at university to be able to work out these things? But anyway, he gave me some strong pain killers/anti inflammatory pills and told me to come back next week if the pain persists. Not a great help but I am hoping that the pain pills work and that I will not have to return to be subjugated to the painful examinations again.

This is all well and good, but why have I decided to share this story with you guys on here, it has nothing to do with the theme and usual content of the blog. Well the reason is twofold, firstly I wanted to rant about this and no one in my home is well enough to listen, and secondly there is a further part to this story.

The further part actually comes before I saw the doctor. While sitting in the waiting room there was a lady sitting next to me who began talking to me. After a short conversation we discovered we were both "outsiders" I have lived away for a long time and she only moved here 9 years ago, yes she is still considered an outsider, it is that sort of town. But in the course of the conversation I was able to tell her about the work that I do and my  membership of my Church, I was able to talk to her about not only the work I am doing now, but the work I feel God is calling me to. I love the opportunities God throws in our paths when we are least expecting it, yes we can be sitting in a doctors waiting room feeling like death warmed up in absolute agony, by that should not diminish our love for God or our joy at being His child. I hope I managed to be a good example of a Christian for that woman and that it will make her think about God and His place in her life, you never know what God can do with even such small seeds.