June 22, 2022
“Sitting in the Oncologist’s Office”: A Prayer
O Lord, we were sitting in the oncologist’s office last week
and I got to thinking,
thinking
about time,
because
we had been there
for nearly an hour
and I still hadn’t
been called back
for my infusion,
running late,
no reason offered,
no explanation given,
no apology forthcoming;
and I got to thinking,
thinking,
that of all places on earth,
this should be the one place
where it should be known
how precious
time is,
an oncologist’s office,
because
every patient there
has been told they
no longer
have the time
they once thought they had,
no longer
have all the time in the world,
no longer
have a million years;
and yet,
there we sat
as if we did have
a million years;
and when I finally did
make it back to the
infusion room,
same story,
running late,
the room crowded
with patients
much worse off than me,
waiting,
waiting for
bags of chemo
to be hung next to their recliners,
bags of poison,
actually,
soon to poison
the poison within,
bags of time,
really,
meant to give
more time;
and as I sat there with my immunotherapy
drip, drip, dripping,
I kept thinking,
thinking
about time,
thinking
that’s what
an oncologist’s office
is all about,
time,
and never
should it
run late,
none of us there having any
time to spare,
time to waste,
time to while away,
too precious.
O Lord, it’s what cancer does, changes time;
but not just cancer,
other diseases too;
or turning forty or fifty;
aches and pains that
won’t go away, that too;
time is money, we say
and talk about time
as if it is money,
and so, we
spend time,
invest time,
save time,
buy time,
even live on
borrowed time;
and when we’re young, we think our account at the
time bank
is
always full,
there will
always be enough,
always more where that came from;
but
when older,
realize that
time runs out,
account runs dry,
no additional deposits
possible, so
not to be wasted waiting
in a waiting room,
too precious.
O Lord, no matter what our age, no matter what our health,
no matter our condition,
grace us
with the wisdom
that sees just
how precious time is;
that understands
that it goes so fast
(Married 55 years last Friday – where did the years go?)
that knows
it’s just
a question of time;
as so
move us
to use well the time we have;
to make time for what matters most;
to take time for family and friends;
to offer our time to loving you, serving you,
giving ourselves for the sake of others;
to have the time of our lives
while there still is time;
And we pray, O Lord, that we would always set aside time
to pray for
those who are sick or battling chronic illness,
those who are dying,
those who are grieving,
and the millions of refugees far from home.
Heal, be with, console, comfort, and lift them in hope.
And we pray for the people of the Ukraine,
that they would be victorious
and the evil would come to an end.
O Lord, one day last week a one hour appointment became
a three hour appointment
in the one place I would have thought
running on time
would be paramount since
the people who come there are
running out of time;
but then,
we all of us
are running out of time,
and so teach us
to treat each day
as the first day
and the last day
of our lives,
to live each day
fully,
thankfully,
joyfully.
Amen.