damage

Back to the doctor for us today.

First was a visit with my surgeon, who checked on my stitches and bandages. He seemed quite satisfied with things, but please answer me this: why would a man who knew first-hand the kind of damage he did to my chin just 2 days earlier poke and prod said chin with such callous abandon?? Ouch!!

Then we both went to a dermatologist, to get checked head to toe for other suspicious spots. Precautionary, yes. We don't want to get caught by surprise again. While the doctor congratulated me on generally healthy skin "for my age", she did point out the difference in color between my porcelain white belly and the parts of my skin that were "sun damaged"—meaning my arms, mostly. As I looked at my slightly golden brown limbs, I wondered when a "healthy tan" suddenly came to be known as "sun damage".

In between our visits we spent some time hanging out in waiting rooms. This hospital is well-known internationally, and they actually market a kind of "medical tourism", bringing patients from all around the world.

I was enjoying the rich variety around me—what a mix of different races and religions!—when I became aware of another thing that was damaged. My wandering gaze quickly dropped to the floor when I realized that I had been taking in a Muslim man and his wife, and had accidentally caught his eye. What was he thinking about me? What did he think I was thinking about him?? I know I was thinking nothing negative, but does he???

I hate the fact that I have never met this person before and yet we are automatically off on the wrong foot. Something is very damaged when individuals are separated by layers of mistrust and misconceptions before they ever have the chance to know each other as human beings. In many cases these barriers keep us from ever approaching one another to even try at understanding. In extreme cases it polarizes entire populations against each other.

I know that each individual is a unique and treasured creation of God—regardless of race or creed. How He must grieve when we so damage one another.