Swallowing the Truth

In 1984, Australian physician Barry Marshall was convinced he had discovered the true cause of stomach ulcers — a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Helicobacter pylori. The medical establishment laughed. Ulcers were caused by stress and spicy food; everyone knew that. His research papers were rejected. His colleagues were dismissive.

So Marshall did something remarkable. He drank a petri dish full of the bacteria himself.

Within days, he developed gastritis — the inflammation that precedes full ulcers. He had proven his hypothesis on his own body. He treated himself with antibiotics and recovered completely. He and his colleague Robin Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005.

What strikes me about Marshall is this: he was not reckless — he was convinced. He had studied the evidence carefully. He believed the truth was worth defending, even at personal cost. Courage is not the absence of risk; it is the willingness to act on what you know to be true when the crowd says otherwise.

The Christian life asks this of us regularly. Stand up for the marginalized when it costs you something. Speak a hard truth when silence would be easier. Follow where God leads when the path is uncertain.

Marshall staked his body on his convictions. The Almighty invites us to stake our lives on His promises. And unlike a petri dish of bacteria, that is a wager with guaranteed redemption.