Firm Rules that Make Life Better... and Easier!

I have been a faculty member in Family Medicine for the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine for 20 years. I have taught many students over the years and have been told that I have a reputation for being one of the most demanding teachers in the Medical School. I give more and longer reading assignments, have much higher expectations and am much more critical of student performance. In spite of this I am also told that students love the time they spend in my office. How can this be?

I think it is because everything I ask and everything I do when I teach is directed toward one goal- helping students become the best doctor they can be. The reading assignments are relevant and directly related to the patients and conditions they encounter. My high expectations are based in the belief that they probably know more and can do more than they give themselves credit for, and are geared to helping them perform not as students but as doctors. My criticisms are honest, direct and truthful, and are delivered with an absence of condescension. In this context students progress rapidly and see tangible growth over time. What initially might be thought to be a burden ends up being a blessing.

I wonder if this is analogous to meaning of the words of the beloved apostle John who wrote, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.” 1 John 5:3-4 NIV

The commandments of God are not burdensome because they are not limiting but freeing. They do not keep us from experiencing the world but instead allow us to break free of its enticements and bondage and to experience the joy that only God can offer. That which to some might seem a burden ends up being a blessing. It is all a matter of perspective!

- Bart

Don't Make this Mistake in Marriage

I recently heard a devastating report about a Christian man I have known for a long time. A successful businessman who has been married for many years, I had always believed him to be a faithful man who was dedicated to his wife. I was wrong.

It seems that he fell  into a common internet trap. As it was the direct result of an immoral act on his part he could not blame anyone else for his mistake. He followed a link about meeting single women, going so far as to actually meet with someone. Common sense finally kicked in during that meeting and he went no further, but he went far enough to reveal disturbing and hurtful truths about his character and his thinking.

Beyond the obvious moral failings in his actions was the greater moral failing of his thoughts and attitudes toward his wife. In the statements on his profile and with his subsequent actions he declared to the world that his wife was not enough for him. He needed more. He deserved more and he wanted more.

How devastating this must have been to her. Any feelings of adequacy and security must have evaporated in an instant. I wonder if now when she looks in the mirror she is frightened by the changes age has brought or if she lies awake at night wondering what she did wrong. Even though her husband may not have committed the physical act of adultery the wounds to her heart are likely to leave permanent scars.

As I think about their story I naturally reflect on my own marriage and am grateful for a blessing that is often overlooked by others, the blessing of contentment. I am completely fulfilled in my marriage. My wife is all I need, all I want and all I could ever want. She is everything and more to me and she knows it. Because I am content I feel no need to look elsewhere, no reason to think the grass is greener beyond any fence.

I am of the opinion that contentment in a marriage is one of the greatest gifts a spouse can give. It brings peace and security to both husband and wife. Its absence  indicates deep problems in the relationship. If you are not content in your marriage, take a step back and ask yourself, "Why not?" As you do, don’t look at what is wrong with your spouse, look at what is wrong with yourself. Why do you want more? Why are you not satisfied with the spouse God has given you?

If you want to gain or maintain contentment in your marriage, take time every day to thank God for your spouse. Make a list of all of the blessings in your life that have come from your husband or wife, making sure that number 1 on the list is- “Thank you God, that they put up with me!”

- Bart

PS: Today marks 32 years of Lisa putting up with me! What a blessing! If you have been touched by this post in any way, please share it with others. You never have to miss a post, you can have them all delivered to your email by subscribing to the blog! Just click on the subscribe button. (upper right on a computer, at the bottom on an ipad or smartphone)

"Have you Killed any Christians Lately?"

I ask a LOT of questions every day in the office. Most are routine and expected, questions such as “Where does it hurt?” or “How long have you felt this way?” Of all the questions I ask, few are as impactful as the one I asked not so long ago, “Have you killed any Christians lately?”

The patient has been in my practice for a while and is well-known and well-liked by the staff. Her visits have been more frequent as of late as she has struggled to deal with a lengthy illness that has made it impossible for her to work. Anxiety and depression have overwhelmed her. I started antidepressant medications a few months ago with no visible response. She was not doing well.

One look at her face when I walked into the exam room told me that the most recent medication adjustments were not working. Her face revealed her anxiety and sadness. I asked her what was going on and she shared that she had started drinking again, heavily. I had to ask her several times before she would tell me exactly how bad the problem was. She was binging, drinking as many as 18 beers in a day. In my mind I ran through possible reasons for such a sudden increase in drinking, remembering that binge drinking can be associated with the manic phase of bipolar disease and that anti-depressants can send a bipolar patient into mania. I wondered, "Maybe she isn’t simply depressed. Does she have Bipolar type 2? (Bipolar type 2 is a depression dominated form of bipolar disease.)  

Bipolar disease would explain the poor response to anti-depressants and the drinking. With this in mind I asked about other signs of mania such as poor judgment and impulsive behavior. “Have you been making any other poor decisions in your life? Spending money you do not have or being more promiscuous?”

Tears immediately filled her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. “Just this weekend,” she replied. She went on to tell me about a sexual indiscretion, an encounter she normally would have avoided. I knew it pained her to share this with me as she had made many statements about her faith in previous visits and the behavior she described was completely opposite the faith she had professed. My heart ached for her. I knew that her mental state must have been truly weak for her to engage in activities that were in such blatant opposition to her beliefs and values.

I tried to proceed with gentleness. I encouraged her to seek out a psychiatrist, sharing my concerns that she may not be on the best medications for her. Because she was doing so poorly I encouraged  her to get a second opinion as soon as possible. Before she left the room I gave her a hug and told her to take care of herself. As we stepped into the hallway she turned back to me. The tears returned and her shoulders quivered as she said, “I am so embarrassed and ashamed!”

I pulled her back into the room. “There is no place for guilt. We all make mistakes,” I said. “If you are worried about having messed up, take a number and get in line. Behind me! We all mess up!” I shared that while we each may struggle with different sins, we ALL struggle with something. (My personal struggles are a "wonderful" combination of insecurity, impatience and anger.)

“But I have done such terrible things!” she responded.

Then came the question. “Have you killed any Christians lately?” A puzzled look came over her face. I reminded her of the story of the Apostle Paul, who prior to his conversion to Christianity was actively involved in persecuting Christians and having them put to death. “God forgave him and he became the greatest evangelist ever. If God can forgive Paul killing Christians he can forgive you.”

The flow of tears slowed as the meaning of the words sunk in. I encouraged her again to see the psychiatrist, and to talk with a pastor. “There is no shame in needing help or in asking for help! We all need help. If you refuse to admit you have a problem and refuse to get help I will let you feel ashamed about that. Otherwise shame has no place!"

A few minutes and another hug later I sent her on her way, praying that she would experience the peace that comes from forgiveness, both the peace from being forgiven by God and the peace that comes from forgiving herself.

Next time you are down on yourself and wonder how God can ever forgive you, take a moment and remind yourself of God's capacity for grace and forgiveness. You probably have not killed any Christians lately! It is not about how "forgivable" we are. It is about how forgiving He is. 

-Bart

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A Lonely Death, A wasted life

He had been dead for over a day when the police found him alone in his apartment. The drug paraphernalia nearby gave an indication of what coroner's tests would later confirm, that he had died of a heroin overdose. A few forms completed, a few boxes checked, the disposal of he body and he became nothing more than a statistic, the only unique feature of his passing that he was a little old to die in this way. Heroin addicts don't often make it to 65.

The manner of his passing should not have been a surprise to those who knew him, and once the initial shock passed, for most of us it wasn't. Drugs and alcohol had been his undoing so many times before.

He was bright and intelligent and life should have been easy. It might have been if he had been raised in a healthy home. Instead the lessons he learned from a self-centered and abusive father did not serve him well. He was hooked on drugs by adulthood, ultimately becoming a bank robber to support his habit. He robbed several banks, enough for the FBI to give him a nickname, "The red-haired bandit."

He was eventually caught, tried and convicted of his crimes and sentenced to federal prison. Fifteen years of his life had been lost to drugs.  When released he lived for a while with his older sister as he tried to reenter society. To the surprise and delight of family members he seemed to pull it off. He got a job as a bartender, had a girlfriend who cared about him and was staying away from drugs and passed all of the screens administered by his parole officer. He was never going to be rich but he looked like he was going to make it. He made it to the family gatherings at Christmas and Easter and was a happy participant in the discussions. He was almost normal..

It was many years before cracks started to appear in his foundation but once they did they became increasingly obvious.  He lost his license for driving under the influence and did a short stint in jail. He struggled to keep a job and was absent on the holidays. The last time family saw him was at the wedding of his great nephew in August 2012. He was grateful to have been invited and seemed genuinely happy to see everyone. Too happy, as he made too many trips to the bar and was so drunk at the end of the day there was a need to tell the valet he was not to be allowed behind the wheel.

We heard very little about him for almost two years, until my wife received a call from her mom telling her that John was dead. My mother-in-law was his older sister, he was my wife's uncle.

In the subsequent weeks we have talked often about the tragedy that was John's life. So bright and so gifted in so many ways, yet taken down and ultimately destroyed by the pursuit of a feeling, a desire to escape the pain of normal life. What a waste.

- Bart

It's Independence Day. Time to recognize the Greatest Threat to our Freedom

Right now in Iraq Sunni militants are marching towards Bagdad, decapitating those who oppose them along the way, yet Islamic terror is not the greatest threat to our freedom. Across the United States, activist judges are rewriting law from the bench and imposing their values on society, yet they are not the greatest threat freedom faces. Unelected bureaucrats are expanding the administrative state in America, creating laws and regulations out of thin air with no legislative oversight, but neither are they the greatest threat to our freedom.

The greatest threat to freedom can be gleaned from 12 words spoken by Jesus Christ, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” Truth is freeing, which means that the absence of truth makes freedom impossible. The greatest threat to our freedom is a refusal to see the world as it really is and to see people as they really are. It seems that at no time in our history has truth been more devalued, as a result at no time in our history has our freedom been more threatened.

Here are some truths that our society is currently rejecting.

• Our feelings and desires can be bad for us. We are being told that nothing matters more than what we feel.

• Our sexuality is not the most important thing about us.

• Children do best when raised by a mother and a father who are married.

• People of faith are, on average, more giving, more tolerant and more loving than people without faith.

• God is love, but He is not only love. He does not approve of every choice we make.

• You cannot reason with evil people.

• Truth is not relative. It is eternal.

• While all people are equally valuable, all people are not equal in ability. As a result, income inequality is not inherently evil, it is the natural outcome of God’s decision to bless people unequally.

A society that denies truth cannot remain free. Something to remember on the 4th of July.

-Bart

Have truths you want to add to the list? Share them in the comments. Speaking of sharing, why not share the blog with your friends by clicking on a link below? And speaking of “free”, my book, Life Medicine, is now FREE. $5 for shipping and handling and a signed copy will be sent to your home. You can pay via PayPal doctorbartbarrett@gmail.com, and it will be in your hands in no time!