The Surgeon’s Struggle: From Knowing About God to Experiencing Him
A Life of Precision, A Heart of Questions
Dr. Frank Mitchell was a man of precision. Every movement of his hands in the operating room was calculated, measured, and practiced. As a leading cardiovascular surgeon, he had spent decades saving lives, restoring health, and ensuring that every procedure followed the exact protocol needed for success. He understood systems, processes, and outcomes. His world was built on knowledge, logic, and mastery.
Yet, in the quiet moments of his life—when the operating room lights dimmed, and the sterile hum of machinery faded—he wrestled with a gnawing emptiness. He could explain faith, draw theological diagrams, and articulate the problem of humanity’s fall with clinical clarity. He had written nearly an entire book on how Satan deceived mankind into believing that God was not trustworthy, yet the reality was stark—he still lived as though those lies were true.
Frank could teach about trust, yet he struggled to live in it. He could explain grace, yet he functioned as if everything depended on him. He longed to experience the joy of a life fully surrendered to Christ, yet he remained tethered to a relentless cycle of self-examination, analysis, and striving.
He had spent his entire life mastering the art of control, but the one thing he couldn’t seem to grasp was how to truly let go.
The Breaking Point
One evening, after an exhausting twelve-hour shift, Frank sat in his car outside the hospital, gripping the steering wheel. His mind replayed the events of the day—a particularly grueling open-heart surgery, a young patient he couldn’t save, a terse conversation with his wife before heading out that morning. The weight of it all pressed down on him.
He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. “God, I see where I need to be. I can explain it all. But I don’t know how to get there.”
A familiar restlessness stirred within him—the same frustration he had carried for years. He knew the truths of Scripture. He knew that transformation wasn’t about trying harder but trusting deeper. But how? What was he missing?
As he sat there in the dark, his mind drifted back to an elderly patient from years ago. Mr. Campbell had been a frail man with a weak heart, but his spirit was unlike anything Frank had ever encountered. Despite facing a risky procedure, he radiated peace.
Frank had asked him, “Are you afraid?”
The old man had smiled, his eyes steady. “Son, I’m already in the hands of the Great Physician. Whether I wake up in this world or the next, I’ll be with Him.”
Frank had nodded at the time, respecting the man’s faith but dismissing it as simple optimism. But now, sitting in his car, he realized—Mr. Campbell had something he didn’t. A confidence in Christ that wasn’t just intellectual but deeply experiential.
And for the first time, Frank saw what had been standing in his way all along.
The Turning Point
Frank had spent his entire life analyzing, explaining, and constructing theological frameworks. But faith was not a puzzle to be solved—it was a life to be yielded. He had been waiting for an experience, for God to open his eyes in some dramatic way, when all along, God had already given him everything he needed.
It wasn’t about trying to generate faith, but about resting in the reality that Christ was already within him. He had spent years asking for what he already possessed—God’s presence, God’s sufficiency, God’s faithfulness. The truth was, he didn’t need to feel it to walk in it. He simply needed to trust that it was so.
In that moment, Frank whispered something different—not a plea, not a request, but a declaration of faith:
“Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment.”
It wasn’t a prayer for something more, but a surrender to what was already his.
And with that, the striving ceased.
The Journey Continues
Frank’s life didn’t change overnight. He still faced challenges, still wrestled with moments of doubt. But the shift had begun—not by understanding his way into trust, but by stepping into it. He no longer sought an experience to confirm God's faithfulness; he chose to walk in faith, believing that Christ in him was already enough.
The surgeon who had spent his life fixing hearts was now letting Christ be the heartbeat of his own.
Not by effort. Not by intellect. But by trust.
By resting in the One who had been there all along.
Guidance
Now, in terms of guiding your guidee toward fully appropriating Christ as Life, here are a few intentional steps to reinforce this truth:
1. Help Him Identify His Remaining Barriers to Trust
Frank had a moment of realization when he saw that he had been trying to understand his way into trust rather than stepping into it. Our guidees may be facing similar internal obstacles.
Ask: What still makes trust difficult for you?
Challenge: What are you still trying to “grasp” rather than simply receiving as already true?
Invite him to reflect: Are you waiting for an experience or confirmation before trusting fully in Christ’s sufficiency?
2. Reaffirm the Completeness of His Union with Christ
It’s essential to reinforce that the guidee is not becoming more complete in Christ—he already is complete in Him (Col. 2:9-10). The problem is not a lack of provision but a lack of resting in what is already his.
Walk through Scriptures that confirm this truth: Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3-4, Ephesians 1:3.
Use a practical analogy: Trusting in Christ’s life is like sitting in a chair—you don’t analyze whether it will hold you, you simply rest in it.
3. Encourage Daily Moment-by-Moment Yielding
This concept is captured beautifully in the phrase:
"Lord, I trust You to live Your life in me and through me in this moment."
This is his new rhythm of living—trusting Christ within him moment by moment, without requiring feelings or confirmation.
Encourage him to verbalize this as a faith declaration throughout the day.
Help him distinguish between analysis and abiding. When he finds himself analyzing his faith, he can stop and simply say, “I rest in You, Lord.”
4. Shift His Focus from Self-Examination to Christ-Occupation
Many who struggle with surrender tend to be introspective, always evaluating their progress. But true transformation happens when our gaze is on Christ, not ourselves.
Encourage your guidee to replace excessive self-examination with beholding Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).
Remind him that growth is not measured by how well he is “performing” trust, but by how much he is enjoying Christ.
5. Reinforce That Faith is an Active Rest, Not a Passive Waiting
Some struggle because they confuse resting in Christ with waiting to feel something before they trust. Your guidee must understand that trust is a decision, not an emotion.
Faith is stepping out, trusting that Christ is living in and through him, even when he doesn’t feel different.
Encourage him to take small steps of faith where he would normally rely on himself, surrendering outcomes to God.
6. Address His Control Patterns Gently
Since he has spent his life mastering control, he will likely need reminders that his security is not in controlling outcomes but in yielding to Christ’s life within.
When your guidee starts striving or analyzing, help him refocus with: “Christ is my life. I trust Him to live in me and through me.”
Encourage testimonies of past moments when he trusted and saw Christ work in unexpected ways.
7. Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection
Growth in the exchanged life is not about getting it right but about continually returning to trust when we drift. Remind him:
There is no condemnation in learning to rest (Romans 8:1).
His journey is not about fixing himself but about allowing Christ to express Himself freely.
Practical Exercise for Him
Encourage your guidee to start each day with this:
A simple acknowledgment – “Lord, I trust You to live Your life in me and through me today.”
A Scripture focus – Something that reinforces his identity in Christ.
A surrender of control – When he feels the urge to analyze or strive, he can pause and simply yield: “I release this to You, Lord.”
Final Thought
If your own guidee is in a similar mindset as Frank, he is in a key moment of transition. Like Frank, he doesn’t need more knowledge—he needs to simply step into trust. The Holy Spirit will make this real as he practices yielding daily.
This is the joy of exchanged life discipleship—watching someone move from striving to resting in the sufficiency of Christ! 🙌