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THE BEST MEDICINE, A TALE OF HEALING
Mrs. Matthews was a very active woman. She was a busy wife and mother, who served on committees, in the community and at church. They say if you want something done find a busy person and they will get it done, and that was Mrs. Matthews. All her good works were good and everything she did was out of love of God and her neighbor.
Mrs. Matthew's health began to suffer. She was becoming nervous, jumpy, short tempered and she didn't sleep well. She began to worry and think of the worst things that could happen.
In her town was a famous doctor who was well known for his work with people with anxiety and worry. Fortunately for Mrs. Matthews he was also a friend from church who knew her and recognized the signs of emerging anxiety disorder. He was not surprised to see her in his waiting room one morning.
"Come right in Suzanne." He said. "I'm glad to see you, I was wondering when you would come by."
"Oh, Doctor!" she blurted out, and as tears rolled down her face she told about the tension, stress, troubled sleep, anxiety and worry. She ended by asking, "Is there something you can do for me? Is there a prescription I can take to help?"
"Well, yes. There is a prescription I can give you. Go home and read your Bible more. Read it every day. If it troubles you read it, if it comforts you read it, if it is hard to grasp read it, if it rubs you the wrong way read it. Read it for an hour very day."
"But Doctor." She said, "Don't you have a medicine, a pill or something? I need something."
Shaking his head slowly he said. "Go home, and read the Word of God an hour a day. Come back to me in a month, and then if we need pills I'll prescribe them."
Mrs. Matthews was fuming mad as she left his office. "Really, who does he think he is? Just because we are friends he is taking it too far." Then she began to think, "Oh well, it won't cost anything. I guess it couldn't hurt." Then she remembered it had been a long time since she had read the Lord's Word. She was a Christian but she had let the worldly cares and activities of family, community, and church to crowd out the Word from her life.
She began the habit of starting each day by opening the scriptures and reading it for an hour.
After a month she kept her appointment and returned to the Doctor's office. When he opened the door and looked into her face he said, "Come in. I see you have been a good patient and took your medicine as ordered. Do you still feel you need medicine?"
"Oh no, Doctor." She was quick to say. "I feel like a different person. I am no longer nervous and I hardly ever get upset. How did you know just what I needed?"
The doctor sat down at his desk. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a worn Bible and set it on the desk in front of him. "Suzanne," he said, "If I should neglect my daily reading of this book I would lose my greatest source of strength and skill."
(c)Adron Dozat 7/30/13
