The Eyes Have It

Fortunately, it was Friday. The eye doctor’s assistant would have the weekend to recover from the embarrassing situation. She had prepared the equipment, or so she thought, for my 30-minute field vision test, but after the test, she discovered the test failed. She had not placed the lens close enough to my right eye. She apologized, and offered a weak, “We will have to test your right eye again.”

Another 15 minutes ensued, and another apology was forthcoming. “For some reason, the test didn’t register. I’m sorry, but it looks like we will have to repeat the test once again. Do you have the rest of the morning to stick around?”

“What’s the problem?” I asked. Are my results stored in the computer?”

“Yes.”

“Then, the problem must not an invalid test. It must be a computer glitch.”

At that point the doctor’s assistant tried to print the results of my test, but the printer failed to respond.

Finally, after several minutes, we heard a clicking, whirring sound, and saw paper roll out of the printer. I was relieved until the assistant observed, “These are not your results.”
Then the unthinkable happened. The printer kept churning out test results after test results on what seemed like an endless roll of paper, and the assistant couldn’t stop the printer. Soon we were almost ankle deep in patients’ field vision test results, but mine were not among them, and the paper roll had run its course.

Again, an apology. “I can find another roll of paper,” the assistant sighed, “but I don’t know how to install it. Do you want to go home? I will call you this afternoon to schedule another appointment or hopefully to tell you your test results printed.”

I went home.

Later, I received the good news and a final apology. My test results printed and the assistant was totally sorry for the delay.

I hope the doctor’s assistant has recovered by now. And I hope Medicare doesn’t have to pay for two very long rolls of paper.

I’m sure we have all experienced embarrassing situations, but we need to seize the future.
What we consider a bad day may be simply a learning experience and an opportunity to grow stronger. We should take responsibility for our mistakes and our sins, recognize we are imperfect, and trust God for the grace, wisdom, and strength to do better tomorrow.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 43:5).