Dr. Maltie Babcock was approached by a member of his congregation who was concerned about his health. Handing Dr. Babcock some theatre tickets he said, “Take these. You need the recreation of going to this play.” His pastor looked at them. Seeing they were tickets to a play of a kind he could not conscientiously attend, he said kindly, “Thank you, but I can’t take them. I can’t go.”

“Why not?” the physician asked.

“Doctor, it’s this way. You’re a physician – a surgeon, in fact. When you operate, you scrub your hands meticulously until you are especially clean. You wouldn’t dare operate with dirty hands. I’m a servant of Christ. I deal with precious human souls. I wouldn’t dare do my service with a dirty life.”

-The Expositer