In Search of Shalom

‎"to promote life not death, health not sickness, to suffer and counsel with those who suffer, to care compassionately when one cannot cure, to be a part of God's presence in the valley of the shadow of death, in short to search for shalom" 

Hessel Bouma III

I first read this quote as a freshmen at OBU. We read a book called on Moral Medicine in our Biology Colloquium class. This book was a collection of essays dealing with various aspects of ethical issues we face in medicine. I don't remember a lot about this particular article, but I remember this quote. When I read this quote I thought it symbolized the reasons I wanted to become a doctor. This quote continues to remind me of why I have chosen this profession. I had an extremely rough day yesterday. We had a young child come into the ER severely injured and we had to life flight him out. Yesterday this quote came to mind as I was thinking about the events of yesterday afternoon and evening. As the boy was wheeled out I was able to put my arms around the boy's arm and try and comfort her. Today we found out that this boy was miraculously alive. Through yesterday's sadness and other events this week I am reminded of the opportunity I have to minister to my patients and their families.    

As Christians we are called to live of lives like this as well. We are to be God's hands and feet. We need to find ways to minister to our friends, family and co-workers who are struggling. We need to promote life, Life through Christ. We are called to weep with our brothers and sisters when they are struggling. Nothing ministers more to people that a Christian who knows, hope and life coming alongside of someone who is suffering. 

Traditionally Shalom is thought to mean peace, while it does mean peace it means much more than that. Shalom comes front he verb, shalom which means, complete, perfect, and full. It also is related to the Hebrew word, Shelem, which means to pay for and Shulam which means fully paid. As Christians, our sin has been paid in full by the blood of Christ. The bible tells us that God gives us peace that surpasses all understanding. I challenge you today to search for Shalom in your life and in the lives of other people. The peace that we are given as Christians makes us complete, fully and lacking in nothing.