A man staggered into the Emergency Room and collapsed on the floor.  As medical personnel attempted to ask him some questions, his incoherent babbling coupled with acetone-laced breath clued them in to the likely issue.  His blood sugar was 675…just a hair on the high side. 

The Endocrinologist strode confidently into the room.  “Diet is an essential component of diabetes management,” he said.  “I need you to keep a food log for me.” 

Oblivious to the fact that the patient had now lapsed into a catatonic state, he walked out, eager to check the box for “Lifestyle Counseling” in the Electronic Medical Record. 

Next door, a visibly frazzled woman with tears streaming down her face stumbled into a Counseling Office.  She confessed to being suicidal, hopeless, scared, confused, and unable to escape her current kaleidoscope of catastrophic cogitations.

The counselor nodded.  This lady definitely needed to pray and re-focus her perspective!  So he handed her a packet filled with Bible passages and follow-up multiple choice and free response questions based on the readings.  If this didn’t do the trick, she could only really blame herself.  It’s not as if God or the Truth had changed.

Months passed.  Thankfully, the man and the woman had received help from other individuals, including clinicians and counselors.  These sources had listened.  They had provided Lifestyle Recommendations.  Some medications had been employed, but more importantly, both the man and the woman felt they had been issued prescriptions of Hope. And they had both begun regularly attending a Bible Study as well.

Out of respect, the man and the woman called the offices of the first doctor and counselor to inform them that they were receiving help elsewhere.  And the responses from the Doctor and the Counselor were identical:

“That’s too bad.  What are the credentials and qualifications of the people you’re seeing now? We offer multiple programs for certification.”

John 9