Day 18 - Masks and Goggles
Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Focal Verses: But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak. ~ 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 (CSB)
About two and a half years ago, my office received a new doctor. A new boss. A whole new set of rules. Stricter rules. Rules that, in my flawed opinion, were merely for the sake of rules. I saw them as intrusions into my normal workflow and a transgression against me personally. A slight, of sorts, indicating (erroneously, mind you) that my new boss didn’t trust the thirty years of experience I already had in the field. Didn’t appreciate the expertise I brought to the table. Didn’t see that I had done quite well during all that time without all the new additions to our S.O.P. (standard operating procedures).
Long story short, I’ve struggled to abide by these new protocols. Intellectually, I understand why they benefit our office. I know why she desires them to be followed. And yet, the old adage about ‘old dogs’ and ‘new tricks’ has never felt more apt. Fortunately, my boss is a wonderful woman and has what seems like unfathomable patience for me. I also think she probably gives me a lot more leeway than I deserve simply because of my experience.
One such rule that I’ve struggled so much to adopt is a blanket decree that “if there is a body out in the autopsy suite, everyone entering must wear a mask and eye protection at all times.” It doesn’t matter if you’re just sticking your head in to ask a quick question or striding across the morgue floor to release a body to a funeral home. If a body is out, masks and ‘goggles’ must go on our faces.
The rationale is perfectly understandable. Open bodies provide potential exposure to biohazards, toxins, and any number of dangers in the air. Masks and eyewear will protect us from those dangers.
And yet, for nearly thirty years I’ve traversed the virtual minefield of the morgue without them and been perfectly safe. I’ve seen pathologists hold up a bloody human heart with bare hands to show others in the room interesting findings. I’ve eviscerated bodies with merely a plastic apron protecting me from whatever germ or bacteria might be lying in wait.
And while intellectually, I understand the new rule, the entire thing was a major bruise to my ego. Ego, man. It’s the dumbest, most fragile aspect of the human makeup. And because of ego, I might sometimes comply with the rule, but I only do so in the most ‘letter of the law’ way. For instance, I often enter simply holding a mask to my face instead of strapping it to my head. It’s those little egotistical rebellions that are the most inane, by the way.
My boss, however, is a lot smarter than I am. In fact, she could be described as an evil genius. See, we recently promoted one of our admins to become a part time investigator and guess who the Doc requested train this new investigator? Yep. You guessed it. The moment I was asked to train her, I suddenly found myself at a crossroads. Cling to the old ways and train this new investigator in a way that is sure to get her in trouble, or do the right thing and ‘learn’ the new methods fast so that I can train her properly. So that I could train her in the way her boss wanted her to perform her role. And this realization hit me like a ton of bricks the moment I received a staff email that reiterated the mask-eye protection policy because my trainee had entered the morgue without taking the mask thing seriously. Because of me. Because she’d watched me work.
I’ll admit once again, today’s passage (especially the focal verse) sprang to mind when I got that email. I knew there really was no choice. I owed it to the new investigator (not to mention my boss and the integrity of our office) to train her up in the accepted protocols and procedures codified within our office. And that’s what I’ve been struggling to do.
You see, while my boss has been so patient with me over these last few years, affording me a certain amount of flexibility because of my experience, I knew she would not be so lenient with the new investigator. Worse, this new investigator truly wants to learn the job. And she wants to learn how to do it right. She naturally wanted to avoid being reprimanded in the future for not following protocol or making certain very avoidable mistakes. And while I might be retiring this time next year, I didn’t want to end my career with a black mark against my name. We haven’t gotten there yet, but 1 Corinthians 10:31 famously tells us: ‘So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.’
So, first, I am obligated to do everything to God’s glory…including following rules and regulations that I personally find aggravating. But second, as a Christian, I’m obligated to lower myself. I might be free to do certain things others aren’t capable of doing, but if, in my freedom, I cause someone else to stumble, then I’m guilty of sinning.
Just like marriage, in every day relationships, we must learn to die to ourselves. To tamp down our own egos (and by the way, EGO is precisely where my aversion to all these new rules is coming from…there’s not a single one of them that’s bad or wrong. It’s just that my ego makes me want to rebel against them), put aside our own wants and desires, and excel for the sake of those around us. If that means giving up certain things that aren’t sinful to keep someone else from sinning, so be it. As Christians, we have no entitlements. As Christians, we are not free to live for ourselves. In everything we do, we must put God first, others second, and ourselves last.
Father God, thank you for your word. It is sometimes difficult to hear. Sometimes difficult to accept. Often difficult to follow, but it is a true compass in the mire we call this world. Help us Lord to lower ourselves and put others’ needs ahead of our own. Help us also to live every moment of every day for your glory, no matter what it is that we do.