I’ve been accused of frequently visiting my past to retrieve tales of sadness & doom. But the intention isn’t usually to just lament about those experiences; the goal is for those that eventually read them will not repeat those experiences in their lives. And it is with that notion that I revisit an encounter I had 20 months ago and I think this isn’t a sad one.

I had what seemed to be severe and frequent chest pains the type that makes you feel you may have a heart attack anytime. And so I talked to a photographer/doctor friend of mine who gladly & speedily referred me to a heart specialist at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

I was glad to meet Dr Christian (a fictitious though apt name). The session would turn out to be the best encounter I’ve ever had with a doctor in my 30+ years of being on this earth. Oh how I wish you would meet Dr Christian.

He was quick to do his preliminary checks and concluded the different tests that he would normally recommend: chest exray, MRI, blood test, the whole nine yards (that one isn’t a test o, just another way of saying ETC). However, right before he began the second phase of the consultation, he asked me one question: TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH IN THE LAST 1 YEAR.

That would turn out to be an easy JAMB question I would smash. After explaining the many multi-faceted challenges I recently experienced in my career and personal life, he looked me straight in the eyes and said words that would stay with me long after the session: MR SEUN, NOTHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR BODY.

I would have argued with him if not that I didn’t even have the money to do all the tests that he just prescribed. And so I had to ask him to explain further. He mentioned that my body was reacting to the fact that I was worried and anxious over the recent issues that I was experiencing. He mentioned that the challenges that I was facing should not dictate my state of mind. He stressed that the stress I was experiencing and allowing my body to witness were not necessary at all. He mentioned how many people that he recently treated who had not gone through 10% of what I supposedly went through and who eventually lost their lives as a result of the emotionally stressful toll on their bodies. He mentioned that his recommendation for my condition was that I should deliberately choose to abide by the words of Jesus who stressed the importance of not living a life full of worry and stress.

At this point, it is important to note that it wasn’t necessarily in his best interest to give me the advice he gave me knowing very well that not doing all those tests will result in no income from a patient like me. He also stressed that he doesn’t always give sessions like that to most of his patients as most of them usually don’t want to admit that they’re actually worrying and anxious about the situations of their life.

I was eternally grateful for meeting Dr Christian. I did not do any of the recommended tests at the end of the day but instead chose to abide by the words he dished out during his second session. At the end of the session, he held my hands and prayed with me. I mean, which doctor does that? Anyways, it’s been almost 2 years now that I didn’t do any of those tests and I am getting better and better, fresher & fresher, wiser & wiser, handsome & handsomer by the day. All because I chose to follow the advice of a Christian Dr Christian.

I reckon that some of us are heavily-laden with worries and stress that is translating into the ailments our bodies are experiencing. If only we will be deliberate and choose not to worry no matter what. I know you have enough reasons to validate your worry and anxiety but please ask yourself this question: WHO WORRY EPP? Many of us are sick because of worry, stress, unforgiveness & many other emotionally heart-wrenching life issues. Please understand that NOTHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR BODY. Your body is simply being infected and affected by the state of your mind and heart.

As you go about your Sunday activities, remember the words of a wise man who walked this earth about 2,000 years ago:
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. “Give your entire attention to what God is doling right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Matthew 6:25-34 The Message (MSG)