LOVE MY PEOPLE

I was often reminded in subtle and not so subtle ways that we were launching out of the regulated hospital world to live ‘by faith’ with no assured regular income. For me, this was the single most difficult hurdle. All my life I had been trained to work and study hard and to be a good provider, especially now, for my new family. This venture really went against the grain of all that I had known.

As if on cue, one day the Chief of Surgery suddenly entered my office. Still clad in OR greens with a mask dangling around his neck his tanned face was handsome. His carefully trimmed white mustache and hair showed him to be the epitome of success. He had made it ‘big’, as the head of a very busy surgical department in our university teaching hospital. The esteemed mentor of many young resident doctors in various surgical disciplines knew he was a diciplinarian. He entered my office suddenly, stood silently before my desk and peered down at me over his half frame gold rimmed spectacles. I looked up. He queried, “So, Rawlings, you have made it into the hospital ‘grapevine'. I hear that you are leaving us for overseas. Is that right?”

I drew in my breath and smiled, “Yes,” trying to sound confident.

Before I could give a few more details he shot back, while folding his arms across his chest, “So, when you are in Timbuktu with your family, who then is going to pay your bills?”

He had struck at my ‘Achilles heel,’ my weakest spot. I responded with as much courage as I could muster. “Well, of course, the Lord is going to pay our bills.”

He looked at me and said with a sardonic smile as he turned to leave my office, his sarcastic words mocked me. “Well, we will see if the Lord will provide won’t we?”

Those smooth words bothered me all day long and when I arrived home that evening, I said to Meridel rather abruptly, “When we get to Israel, who is going to pay the bills?” So much for my great confidence and ‘unwavering’ faith!

She smiled knowing me well and replied without hesitation, “Oh darling, the Lord, of course!” It seemed that she had ample faith for all three of us.

I had been brought face to face with the seemingly impossible choice of clinging to the Bible promise that says, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.”8 I chose to believe to go stand my ground and keep taking one step forward at a time. There was no turning back. First, I was desperate to get rid of my corvette stingray.

Unexpectedly, during morning coffee break at the hospital cafeteria, in walked Dr. Herb Cohen, the Chief of Urology.9 Smugly he asked, “Well Rawlings, what’s this I hear about you leaving us for Israel?”

“Yes, that’s right, Dr. Cohen, I feel it’s time to go to our ‘Promised Land’. As they say, it’s now or never!”

“Well, what about your car? I heard that you are trying to sell it?”

Looking him in the eye I said, “That’s right, I am!”

“How much do you want for it?”

I told him my final price, knocking off $100. I also mentioned that I had just put on it a $1000 paint job.

He asked, “What color is it?”

“Metallic burgundy.” I replied.

Taking a sip of coffee he said, “I hate that color! Is it an automatic?”

Trying to sound positive I said, “No, it’s a three speed stick shift with a 327 cubic inch engine.”

“I detest having to change gears!” He groaned.

My heart began to fall with all of his negative comments.

“And it must be a real gas guzzler eh!”

Then, just as I was about to answer, suddenly he said, “I tell you what; let’s take it out for a spin.”

We drove around the block several times as he got used to the clutch, instant power and quick response steering. As we pulled back into the hospital parking lot he said, “I really don’t want the car, but what is your last price?”

I gave him the price once again and he pulled out his check book muttering to himself, “I don’t know why I’m doing this,” handing me his check, “Here’s your money.” Immediately, we drove to the motor vehicle branch and transferred the car into his name.

Keep reading to find out what happened to us when we got to the John F Kennedy Int’l airport in New York with just one round the world ticket, my wife and son had none. That was long before internet and e-tickets. Stay tuned, some of it is stranger than fiction.

TIMELESS SECRETS

That old saying about unity goes, ‘it’s hard to say what it is, but you sure know what it isn’t.’ Learning to connect with one’s Creator open that invisible realm into wholeness. Oh, to know myself as I am known! h Tat is the quest!