"Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be
intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any
case too difficult for you, and I will hear it."
(Deuteronomy 1:17)
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I have watched people react to waiters, secretaries, and receptionists, and,
who, afterwards, despite identifying name tags and signs on those workers' desks,
could not tell anyone anything about these people whom they considered just
invisible, anonymous beings- individuals not worth knowing.
I am glad that I learned differently. Mother worked with my brother, Curtis and me,
teaching us not to prejudge others-not to decide on their value before we knew them.
She stressed treating everyone with kindness and giving every person a chance.
As surgeons, if we do not consider all other workers as having value and as worth
knowing-we are prejudiced, against which the Bible speaks strongly:
"My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do
not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring
and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you lavish
attention on the man in fine clothes and say, "Here is a seat of honor," but say
to the poor man, "You must stand" or "Sit at my feet" have you not discriminated
among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
(James 2:1-4)
Why can't a janitor know significantly more about certain situations than a
neurosurgeon does? A person who performs manual labor can certainly be
as intelligent as one who sits at a desk, performing clerical work.
Being nice translates to accepting each person for his or her individual worth.
It disturbs me that some still decide that certain people are not worth bothering
with simply because of their socio-economic class, job, or national origin.
Everyone has value. Or, as a popular saying of my growing up years reminds:
"God don't make no junk."
These under-recognized people can teach us, encourage us, and even be important
allies for us. Over the years, I have gotten to know a great number of such people
whom I still know and talk with often. When I am in the midst of a group of
doctors and a clerk comes by to say hello, I want that individual to be treated
just as well as the CEO of an important company who comes in as a patient.
Medical-assistance patients are as important as wealthy patients are.
All of them have medical needs that we can minster to.
Benjamin Solomon Carson (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgeon,
academic, author, and government official serving as the National Nutrition Advisor
at the Department of Agriculture since 2025.
"God Don't Make No Junk"
Taken from "THINK BIG"
Dr. Ben Carson M.D. with Cecil Murphy
(C) 1992
Zondervan Publishing
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