In the Healing that We Seek

Having lived with Crohn's Disease (a chronic bowel disease) for more than five decades, ill health is no stranger to me. Just as healing was an important part of Christ's ministry, I am thankful to the many health professionals who served as the hands of Christ in helping me deal with pain and disability. Scripture also points out that we can hurt each other in non-physical ways. But whether injury is physical or emotional, it has spiritual consequences, for instance when pain causes us to withdraw from social interaction. That isolation, and the physical limitations that arise from sickness can make us feel less "useful". But that shouldn't mean having nothing to give. A member of my congregation has such severe cerebral palsy that communicating with him is almost impossible. Yet by being with us in worship, he is honouring our presence as much as we are treasuring his, and I am grateful that he has taken the immense effort needed to attend. Often we deal with suffering by asking "why me?". Finding meaning is so vital to enduring difficulties that we would rather choose the wrong reason (for instance, that we`re being punished) over no reason at all. But the meaning lies in our response and not in random circumstances. Chance can unravel the fabric of life, but in the love that God gives us, we find a power that keeps the threads together so we can live out all that we were made to be.