Personal Growth For the Chronically Ill

Photo Credit: Julie Freeman-Woolpert, Concord, NH

Chronic illness affects nearly one out of every two Americans (133 million people). Impossible you say? 96% of all chronic illness is invisible: no canes, wheelchairs, or other paraphernalia. So despite the hundreds of people you might see in a day, every other person is suffering from some kind of debilitating condition, such as: cancer, arthritis, back pain, Fibromyalgia, migraines, Lupus, Chemical sensitivity, etc. And with these disabilities, there is a price to pay: life-styles altered, personalities changed, income lost, family upheavals, isolation.

We Christians who find ourselves with a chronic illness, however, are better able to cope with the ravages of our physical condition. We have something greater than ourselves to believe and hope in. God is bigger than the confines of our physical ailments. Yet, if we do not access the promises, and fail to wield the sword of the Spirit that is God's Word, we stifle personal growth and suffer with the mental turmoil that occurs with any chronic pain life-style.

As God's sword is double-edged, living with chronic pain has its two sides also. One edge, the daily-ness of dealing with pain, saps our energy. The other edge, the unpredictability of symptoms, causes us to over-do or to not do at all. Each day, then, becomes a struggle with our body, and that struggle can over-power all our good intentions of sitting down and spending time with God.

Yet time with God is the very antidote for situations beyond our control. Regular time spent focusing on God's attributes brings alignment to our spiritual and physical condition. The difference with and without this time is the choice of responding or reacting to our dramatic circumstances. Knowing God's promises and faithfulness gives us the knowledge of how to respond. Pain itself demands reaction. But Jesus gave us our priorities when He said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." It is possible to grow spiritually when we have hope in the Creator who has a plan for our life.

The good news is that we do not need to be Bible scholars. We only need to take consistent time each day, no matter what the day brings. A single verse can last us a week when used to claim God's deliverance. Consider the Scripture: "You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, (put in your name here). Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." How does it work?

Monday, you get lab results: You will not have to fight this battle. Tuesday you go to the doctor: Take up your position. Wednesday you are too ill to get out of bed: stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. Thursday a medical bill arrives: Do not be afraid. Friday the car has a flat tire: do not be discouraged. Saturday and Sunday: Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.

God does not want us to be a victim of our illness. If we live our lives with knee-jerk solutions to our circumstances, the significance of our relationship with God diminishes through neglect. On the other hand, if we search the Scriptures for God's truth, even though we suffer constant pain, our spiritual choices become our daily sustenance. Deciding to examine our life through God's Scriptures and correlating His words of truth to our situation and our behavior helps us to manage our pain as no pill can. Personal growth occurs when our priorities are aligned with God's words. He is our lifeline.

Photo Credit: Julie Freeman-Woolpert, Concord, NH