The Power of a Changed Life (Part 1)

SOURCE:  "The Power of a Changed Life." Decision Magazine Vol 45, No 1, January 2004. pg 17-9
KEYWORDS:  stress, identity, God in control

Neurosurgeon Ben Carson has been director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore, since 1984...

Q:  How do you keep your composure and sense that God is in control when faced with the enormous difficulties you encounter as a neurosurgeon?

A:  It’s easy for me because every sing day I am dealing with complex things.  I realize that disaster is just around the corner almost all the time.  I think that’s probably one of the reasons that neurosurgeons die early. The average age of death for a neurosurgeon is 59. You are dealing with stress as stressful because God gets all the credit for all the good things, but He also is in control when bad things happen. The only thing He requires of me is that I do my best.  That’s all I have to do, and recognizing that takes an awful lot of stress off of me.

Q:  How do you integrate your faith with your work?

A: I start out every day with my own personal devotional time of praying, reading the Bible and contemplating.  I just try to keep God on my mind in everything I do.  I tell myself, “You are a Christian, and you represent Christ.”  This means everything that comes out of my mouth and every action I do must be affirming and positive to people.  I try to keep it that way no matter what is going on and no matter what anyone is doing.