Humble Witnesses

Disabled medical student Zoie Sheets has shared some helpful reflections on how medical professionals should approach “Google warriors”—patients who have compiled their own research and might be resistant to a doctor’s recommendations. She points out that many patients have good reason for distrust or fear, based on past experiences. She recommends humility on the part of the doctor: “Getting a medical degree is a privilege. It does not make us better than.” She also encourages doctors to ask questions of their patients that demonstrate value and respect: “What were you afraid of as you were Googling?” “What did you see that you have questions about?” “What are you hoping we rule out?” (Zoie Sheets, MPH [@ZoieSheets], Twitter, February 8, 2021, 12:31 p.m., https://twitter.com/ZoieSheets/status/1358861111945121795?s=20). Sheets’s approach might be helpful to believers as they seek to share the resurrection with people who have barriers to believing, due to past experiences. Like doctors, Christians sharing their faith should humbly listen to and respect those they communicate with.