In the clinic where he works in Asia, Michael* sees a vast array of health problems. Chronic health conditions, like diabetes, are especially common, as most patients have not enjoyed regular access to medical care. As a Christian, Michael is eager to provide them with exceptional care, and at the same time, he’s keenly aware that he can offer patients far more than relief from their symptoms. He recognizes that each person who walks into his clinic is not merely a patient. Rather, each one is a human being created uniquely in the image of God.
“I strive to see everyone I treat as a person and then care for them holistically,” Michael explains. “That means seeing them as more than the disease or the thing they’re seeking treatment for.”
Often, he says, that looks like addressing their underlying needs, such as the trauma they have experienced in war-torn communities. And other times, it simply looks like showing dignity – like he did one day when he treated a young man who spoke with a stutter.
In that culture, individuals who stutter often experience deep shame. So, as Michael treated this young man, he encouraged him that there’s a God who sees him and loves him – and that he has great value, dignity, and hope because of that.
However, the patient was not the only local in the room during this encounter. Michael’s translator was there, too. A local man from a different spiritual background, this translator had recently shown interest in the Word of God. He had been reading some stories periodically, and as it so happens, he had planned to read and discuss the story of creation that same day.
It wasn’t lost on Michael how purposefully God had arranged this. This translator was not only given the opportunity to read about the dignity God gives humans as image-bearers, but also to witness a follower of Christ dignify someone who feels a profound sense of inferiority.“
I hope and pray that this encounter made an impact on the patient, but I also pray it made an impact on my translator,” Michael said.
“There’s a sense that Michael really listens to people and cares,” his wife adds. “And that’s very powerful. Often, locals are paying just as much attention to our lives as our words.”
*Name changed.