It started with a routine appointment for my annual eye exam. I thought I was going to the optometrist for her to check my vision and see if my driving glasses prescription needed to be modified. Instead, she sent me to an ophthalmologist for an evaluation for cataract surgery. After that appointment, I was referred to my primary care physician for a physical to verify that I was a candidate for eye surgery. During that appointment the nurse practitioner noticed an abnormality in one area of my routine EKG, and she referred me to a cardiologist for evaluation. The cardiologist did not have any available appointments for a month, so that meant I would have to reschedule the cataract surgeries.

Next, I had a routine appointment at my dentist’s office for my semi-annual teeth cleaning. After the cleaning, the hygienist ran some routine x-rays of my teeth. She noticed an abnormality in one of the x-rays and called in the dentist for his evaluation. He concluded that it was a root canal that had gone bad. He referred me to an endodontist to treat the infected root canal. During the procedure the endodontist removed the infected tissue and provided other treatments, including installing a temporary filling. I was instructed to return to my regular dentist within a month to have the temporary filling replaced with a permanent filling or a new crown.

I called my regular dentist’s office to schedule the procedure. I was told that the temporary filling was in a crown, and that the crown would need to be replaced, and that procedure required two appointments.

So, I have an upcoming appointment with the cardiologist, two upcoming appointments with the dentist, and two upcoming appointments with the ophthalmologist for two cataract surgeries, and two follow-up appointments for each surgery. A month after that is completed, I am to schedule a follow-up appointment with my optometrist.

And it all began with “routine” appointments to my optometrist for an eye exam and to my dentist for a teeth cleaning!

Life can get complicated. That’s one of the premises behind my series of Bible study book, Spelunking Scripture. The Bible is complicated, and to understand it, we need to go beneath the surface to explore important passages of Scripture. Studying the Bible that way is more than routine. It can lead to new understandings that make our lives better.