What happens after you become a doctor? Well, a long time ago, some really smart people realized that people fresh out of school don’t have enough real-life experience to make wise life-and-death decisions. The solution? They created residency, which is 3-7 years of training where you do all the work of being a doctor under the guidance – and license – of a much more experienced doctor, called an attending.

Now, as a very independent person, becoming a resident has completely changed the way I operate. Every choice I make is not technically my own. Since I am operating under my attending’s license, he bears the consequences of any decision made, so the choices are truly his. I don’t get to ask myself, “What would I do for this patient?” Instead, I am asking, “What would my attending want me to do in this situation?” And if I don’t know, which is quite often, I have to hunt down the answer before I can do anything.

Becoming a resident has made me realize that this is the way of being a disciple as well.  We broke the law, and we were completely unworthy of taking any part in God’s Kingdom. However, as it says in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.”  Jesus switched places with us. He took our place on eternal death row and gave us a chance not to return to our old ways but to take His place.

We are to live the life He would have continued to live had He not died on the cross, and Jesus lived His life completely under the authority of God.  He says in John 5:19, “Verily verily I say unto you, ‘The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father to do: for what things soever he doeth, there also the Son doeth likewise.” Just like how I operate under my attending’s medical license, we as disciples operate under God’s authority. That is the terms of the New Covenant.

So, what is God’s will for us?  I think it breaks down into two categories: the obvious and the not so obvious. Category 1 includes all of the instructions God leaves us in the Bible. If it is not biblical, we don’t need to go pray to God and ask if we can do it. The answer is obviously, ‘No.’ In my life as an intern, there are very simple things I know to be true, whether it is the answer given in the textbooks or my attending has already established it as a principle. I know what post-op pain medications I can prescribe or what x-rays to order for certain symptoms.

To be successful in medicine, I have to study. It’s the same thing as a disciple. God gave us the Bible for a reason. He gave us instructions on how to live and how to treat other people, so we must study our Bible daily to understand these principles. 2 Timothy 2:15 confirms this, saying, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

That leaves us with Category 2, the not so obvious stuff. Oftentimes, this is incredibly situation dependent. In medicine, this might look like figuring out what type of surgery is best when there are multiple options that might work for a certain injury. To get these answers, the solution is simple: I have to ask the attending. As a resident, you have to get comfortable asking questions. Making assumptions or making decisions for yourself is an exceptionally dangerous undertaking.

In our lives as disciples, there are lots of questions that fall in the not so obvious category. One example might sound like this: I know it says in Matthew 5:16 to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” But lots of jobs would honor this Scripture. Which specific job should I get? Prayer, directly asking God, is not only helpful but absolutely critical before moving forward.

We are not given positions in the Kingdom, because we earned it. We are only here because Jesus gave us the opportunity, and with the opportunity comes the obligation to do things that way God wants them done. It is just like it says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Gone are the days of independence and making our own decisions. And thank goodness for that. There is peace that comes at the end of the day, knowing that you must have done the right thing because you did what God told you to do.

Making this transition to relying on God and submitting to His authority every day is insanely difficult. I struggle with it a lot, because it forces me to change my brain chemistry and reroute the way I think through decisions. But I encourage us all to be persistent in making this change.

When you make a decision without asking God, don’t give up. Seek forgiveness, repent, and go back to relying on God again. In the end, the goal should be to be as reliant on God as David was in Psalm 62:1-2, “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.”

It is such a privilege to be a resident, to have the opportunity to take care of people under the guidance and protection of those who know more than me. But the greatest privilege is Jesus allowing us to live a new life as new creatures, completely relying on our perfect and loving Father.

– Written by Erin

Meet the authors.
Listen to us discuss our blogs on our YouTube channel.