The Cure for the Terminal Condition of Sin
The Evangelical Christian Voice in Chiropractic Since 1953
The 2024 CCA Auxiliary Scholarship
Christian Chiropractors Association 2550 Stover, B-102 Fort Collins, CO 80525 Toll Free: 800.999.1970 Local: 970.482.1404 Fax: 970.482.1538
THIRD PLACE ESSAY
Logan Lamar
Auxiliary Scholarship Third Place Award - 2024
Christian Chiropractors Association, Inc. 2550 Stover, B-102 Fort Collins, CO 80525 1.800.999.1970 970.482.1404
A posture of encouragement must be ready long before the patient steps into the office; it begins with the Christian chiropractor preparing his own heart before the Lord. The two primary ways God has provided to accomplish this are through prayer and the study of the Scriptures. Colossians 3:16 says to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…” By filling my mind with the truth of God’s Word and meditating on it, I will be equipped to encourage those in my path with wisdom. Prayer is
likewise vital: “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). Through prayer, I submit my desires to God’s desires and put myself in a position to be used in His service. If I fail to fill my mind with God’s truth and submit to God in prayer, I will act in my own flesh and will fail to show God’s heart—which is the source of lasting encouragement—to the people around me. After diligent heart preparation, the application of encouragement begins with the patient in the office. Passive, ongoing encouragement happens through the demeanor of the chiropractor and overlaps aspects of godly hospitality such as warmly receiving the patient, listening well, maintaining a joyful attitude, and treating the patient with the highest integrity (Titus 1:8). This first category of passive encouragement is foundational for the second category of active, strategic encouragement. Active, strategic encouragement occurs through words spoken with the intention to build up (Proverbs 25:11-13). I can deliver genuine compliments, offer to pray for or with the patient, and even gently point them toward the true source of encouragement that is in Christ. These active, strategic forms of encouragement must always be extended with wisdom and sensitivity, but they are by far the most powerful and opportunities to actively encourage should be diligently sought. Finally, the encouragement continues after the patient has left the office. The Christian chiropractor has a unique opportunity to offer highly specific prayers for the people directly under his care, silently lifting up their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs to the Lord and praying for more opportunities to encourage and share the peace that comes from knowing God (1 Timothy 2:1-4). The benefits of this are two-fold. Firstly, when I pray for others, God hears my prayers and promises to answer them according to His will for the benefit of my patients (1 John 5:14-15).
Logan Lamar is a student at Life University and plans to graduate in December of 2026. He became a member of the CCA in the spring of 2023.
“How Can I Encourage Patients in this Stress-filled World” by: Logan Lamar Life University
Secondly, prayer is a reminder to my own heart that I am not God. While I am responsible to deliver excellent care, I am not ultimately responsible for how my patients respond to the care I deliver: the results through prayer are entrusted to God and the outcomes providentially stem from His hand (Psalm 127:1). It is in these ways I may encourage the patient from the strength that God supplies.
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