Proverbs 4:25
“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.” (NLT)

Today’s Thought
Dr. Evan O’Neill Kane was the chief surgeon at the Kane Summit Hospital. He performed over 4000 surgeries. That’s a lot!

One of the things he was passionate about was using local anesthesia. He felt that using a general anesthesia was an unnecessary risk for patients.

So on a February day in 1921 he prepped a patient for surgery and administered a local anesthesia. Dr. Kane opened up the patient, removed their appendix and stitched them up. A few days later, the patient was release from the hospital.

And guess what? The patient was…

Himself!

Dr. Kane demonstrated that a local anesthetic was all that was needed, and that he was still able to remove his own appendix in the hospital!

When I first read that story I felt it was a great example of the fix-it-yourself mentality. But the more I thought about it, the more I saw something else:

Sometimes you need to go first.

I’m sure there are people in your life you who think have a few issues. You think, ‘If only they would do this…’ or ‘If only they would do that…’ Maybe you’re hoping someone works a bit harder or has a bit more integrity in their walk with Jesus.

But the first person you have to change is you.

You influence people. You make an impact. (Whether you know it or not.) So as you look at the people around you and get frustrated at laziness or a lack of prayer or _________________, blaze the trail.

Sometimes you need to go first. The first person you have to change is you.

By Matthew Ruttan