The Anatomy Lab
AM Psalm 20, 21:1-7(8-14) • PM Psalm 23, 27
1 Kings 17:17-24 • 3 John 1-15 • John 4:46-54
I’ve just finished the first semester of medical school and have been thinking a lot about death and dying. I’ve spent 6 hours a week for two months dissecting another human being. The whole experience is very strange. In some ways it is very unnatural. The chemical smell that seeps into your clothes, the saws and knives used to pick apart our body, the morbid sense of humor we all develop to cope with what we’re doing. Yet there is also something very spiritual about the anatomy lab. The way we try to piece together our cadaver’s story, the opportunity to see the variations in God’s creations, the feeling of something else in that lab.
The Gospel reading today describes Jesus healing the officer’s son. Reading this reminded me of the innate arrogance of the field I’ve chosen to dedicate my life to. Sure, physicians are working to help people and serve others, but at the core of our job is the belief that we can exert some control over death and the deterioration of our bodies. We are striving to be like Jesus and heal the seemingly unhealable. No matter how much I study, train, and practice, there will always be some mystery to the outcomes of my patients. This passage is a good reminder that my wins and losses will not truly be mine. There is some divine component that ultimately decides. As I go through school I want to remember that while God may work through me, He is the ultimate healer. In the late nights in the anatomy lab, I want to acknowledge the mystery and the presence in that room.
Most of you reading this are not physicians, but it is human nature to believe our success comes from our actions. Life is hard and we should celebrate our wins, but I urge you to look for God in your successes as well as your failures.
Written by Hadley Thomas
Hadley graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a biochemistry degree in December and has spent the spring semester working as a staff assistant in the U.S. Senate. She was recently commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and began medical school at the Uniformed Services University in August. She is passionate about her faith and is excited to share her perspective and interpretations with the amazing congregation of Saint Paul’s.