The gallon jug of the doctor’s potion sat on the kitchen counter staring me down much like Goliath looked down his nose at the Israelites in the Valley of Elah. What had I gotten myself into? How would I ever devour this awful tasting gunk before I went to bed? Not to mention deal with the so-called, “cleansing effect.” Nonetheless, I mustered the strength following a day of prescribed fasting and faced the medicine one big gulp at a time.
I was convinced that consuming a gallon of cleansing concoction would be no sweat. Halfway through the second hour, I was pleading for mercy. As much as I hated it, I knew if my colon exam was to be effective, I had to prepare the temple, so to speak. No way was the doctor going to blame a failed procedure on me. This Goliath was going down. By the final hour, I was begging for a break. My entire family was cheering me on. At last, the giant was slain, and I was the victor-so I thought. The final victory did not come until the wee hours of the morning.
There is something awkward about sitting in a doctor’s office with a bunch of suffering patients who have survived a colon cleanse. Like kids whose hands were caught in the cookie jar by Mom, waiting for Dad to get home to dish out the punishment is the hardest part.
The fog in the waiting room cleared as the bubbly early morning-riser nurse cried out my name. Like a sheep led to slaughter, I obeyed, powerless to resist. In a matter of minutes, I was stripped of my pride and led to the exam room with nothing but an intravenous sleep tonic, a less than adequate hospital robe and my tennis shoes. Don’t ask me why I got to wear my tennis shoes. It wasn’t like I was going to run out of there looking like a failed super hero.
As the good stuff sent me off to sleep, I remember smiling and thinking, how could I feel any more vulnerable? These people will soon know me better than I know myself. I didn’t enjoy having the gut check, but the procedure went fine. It is something I will have to do again and highly recommend, especially if you are getting up in years.
Now let me ask you this. When was the last time you experienced a spiritual cleansing? Are the sins in your life staring back at you like Goliath? Have they become a burden so heavy your life has become defeated and void of victory? Then maybe it is time you get vulnerable and schedule some alone time with the great Physician. He already knows you better than you know yourself, and in the end, no pun intended, you will walk away glad you did.
I hope I never run into my doctor and his exam team at the mall, but if I do run into you, I hope we both can put a smile on our faces knowing we’ve been humbled spiritually having survived a recent gut check.
