I come from a family of solvers. Whenever we face a problem, we dig in to try to fix it quickly.

Sometimes we approach people that way too. We see something wrong in the way they’re living, and we want to “fix” them. The reality is people can only be fixed if they recognize they need fixing and want to be fixed. 

None of us wants a doctor who prescribes a remedy before listening to our ailments. Perhaps that’s why Jesus is known as the Great Physician. Yes, he healed people, but, more important, he took time with them. He listened to the physical and spiritual pains they shared and helped them discover that they needed a cure. The placard on his office door did not read, “For a quick fix, come on in!” It read, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). 

This kind of problem-solving takes time. There are no quick fixes for broken or obstinate people who may not realize they need help and often don’t want it. It can be uncomfortable for us to listen to their ailments, but offering them a “place of rest” to unburden their minds and hearts without the fear of us trying to fix them might put them on a path toward lasting spiritual wellness.

We are merely Christ’s interns. Often, the most powerful prescription we can provide is a ready ear to listen and a follow-up prayer to our Great Physician to do the healing.