For many Christians, there was a point in their lives where they could distinctly recall a momentous encounter with God; for others, this encounter is a more subtle journey. When I first became a Christian, tome, God was a higher being who watched over me from a distance. He created the universe and me and hence was powerful. I wanted His power and wisdom to sustain me, and to keep me sane as I encountered sicknesses and deaths at work. He was everything but a personal God who was interested in my life. This changed after a pivotal experience in Sagada, a village on a mountain 13 hours of bus ride from Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. In the year 2000, still a fairly fresh graduate from medicine, I decided to take a year off from work, before committing myself to the intensive physician training program. My decision at the time was to become a physician specialising in kidney diseases. Through The Church Missionary Society, God led me to serve as the sole doctor in a small missionary hospital in Sagada for six months.
God Answered my Prayer
Unbeknownst to me before my departure from Melbourne, the common “disorder” I would encounter in Sagada was pregnancy, which generally leads to the “side effect” of childbirth, and to my agony, I had to deal with this “side effect”. On the 2nd of July, 2000, just as the day was getting into gear, a heavily pregnant lady walked into the hospital, in labour. Women in Sagada went through labour without any analgesia, with minimal fuss. This time, after the baby’s head was delivered, the labour arrested, I couldn’t get the shoulder out. I tried all that I could remember from medical school, which unfortunately was not enough to deal with shoulder dystocia¹. The lady’s face was distorted by pain, and my heart was rent by fear. I could hear the panicky voice of the midwife next to me. I knew if I didn’t get the baby out in time, the developing brain could be deprived of oxygen, and worse, a stillborn. In that situation where there was no other medical assistance available, I did the only thing I knew, I closed my eyes and prayed to God, “God, please let this baby live, if you let this baby live, I’ll do anything for you, I’ll let you do anything in my life.” It was a prayer of panic and desperation. Miraculously, I opened my eyes, and
the shoulder came out; the baby cried immediately, and no resuscitation required. I looked up, the lady’s face shone with gladness and relief. I was overwhelmed by rapturous joy, with irrepressible tears streaming down my cheeks.
God Confirmed my Promise
The next morning, just as the brilliant sun burst forth to paint my room with splashes of gold, with little thought on the
event of the previous day, I started my day reading a devotional book written by Joni Eareckson Tada². The bible verse for that day was taken from Jeremiah 44:25: “Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!” This verse was so apt in timing that I couldn’t dismiss it as a coincidence. I knew without a doubt that God heard my prayer and the promise I made to Him the previous day. He was there with me during my desperation, and He wants to be part of my life. The only sensible response was to submit my life unto Him.
God Directed my Path
Two months later, I returned to Melbourne with a broader horizon and perspective of life. One cloudless night, I was lying on my cosy bed; the moon hung up high in the sky, the application form for a paediatric job was sitting on my table. A friend who did not know about my
experience in Sagada sent me a copy of the application form. I had already been accepted into the physician training position at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, but I felt the turbulence inside me, “is this really what I’m meant to do?” I was torn between settling into this “known” and the “unknown” of applying for a paediatric job at The Royal Children’s Hospital. My rational mind wanted to avoid the hassles of applying for another job and going through another interview. Furthermore, the application closed in less than 48 hours. As I watched the clock ticking away, I asked God for a clear direction, and a picture of multitudes of children singing and praising God on a suburban street appeared to me. That settled the decision and the rest was history. For the first time after graduating from medical school, I found joy and purpose in what I do.
God Softened my Pride
As a paediatrician, I learnt that life and death are often out of human control. Despite the advancement of medical science, medical professionals often cannot predict the outcomes of similar medical conditions. Having been involved in numerous newborn resuscitations, I saw many babies go through the eventful beginning of life, but some survived unscathed, others with neurological sequelae, and yet others did not survive the ordeal, despite the same effort and management of the health care team. We can only try our best in every situation, but God determines the outcome. Many health professionals are too conceited over their ability to heal and save lives when we are only an instrument used by God. God alone has the ultimate control over a human’s life.
¹Shoulder dystocia is an obstetric emergency where the baby’s shoulder gets stuck in the birth canal after the head
comes out
²Joni Eareckson Tada is an evangelical Christian who became quadriplegic after a diving accident at 18 years old
