On May 8, I had an ICD device implanted in my heart, and two weeks later, I went to the hospital for an interim checkup. Then I went to the hospital on June 25 for a second checkup. I was confident that I could go alone because I had been there several times with my son. I gave my name to the staff and told them my appointment time. 

  She told me that my name was not on the list. I ask for the appointment time again, frustrated with how things are being handled, and show him the texts and emails I've received. She looks at them carefully and carefully. She looks at them carefully and smiles. The time is right, but the date is wrong. I thought, "No, what does she mean?

  She tells me that the appointment is for the 25th. But the day I showed up was the 24th. I check my phone and see that it was Tuesday, the 24th. That's right. I'd shown up a day early for an appointment that was scheduled for Wednesday, the 25th, and cried like a baby. In an instant of shame and embarrassment, I confessed that I was a little out of it after the procedure. I apologized profusely, promised to come back tomorrow when I was more awake, and quickly drove home.

  As I drove home, I pictured myself standing in front of the hospital staff with a false sense of confidence, and it flashed through my mind that we Christians today, including myself, can also have faith based on a false sense of confidence. I'm referring to the false confidence that comes from a lack of knowledge of the Bible.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Simon Magus was a magician who heard Philip's gospel and was baptized.(Acts 8:13) But in his rudimentary faith, he asked for the power of the Holy Spirit based on his common sense and experience, convinced that he could buy it with money. (Acts 8:18-19) To this false confidence, the apostle Peter rebukes him, saying that the way of Christ has no relevance and no profit.

  I am looking at the current state of Korea and New Zealand in the context of global trends. There are wars here and there, fights between political parties in countries, and conflicts in society, especially in Christianity, where people are judging each other by the standards of their faith and, in some cases, lashing out. I am somewhat cautiously pondering the thought that such a person could be me or you reading this article.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)