2 Corinthians 12:7b-9 - I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. Some of the hardest words to hear are, “There is no cure.”
Your heart stops. Whatever the doctor is saying after that begins to fade away into the distance. Life as you know it will never be the same. And there’s no getting off this merry-go-round. It just keeps turning. Often there is only management of a chronic pain or illness not a cure.
But for chronic pain and some illnesses being cured isn’t on the table. It’s something we’re going to have to learn to live with. Rebuildingwellness.com in their article, “3 Important Steps to Feeling Powerful When Diagnosed With an Incurable Disease,” tell us some ways to deal with a scary diagnosis such as changing your language around the word “diagnosis.” We’re to stop saying you “have” it and say you were “diagnosed” with it. Having multiple medical issues to deal with daily I thought the author’s advice really hit home. Each time the doctor has told me that he doesn’t know how to help me I felt helpless and alone. Friends and family can be there to comfort us, and I’ve always appreciated that when they have. But I can still see just beneath the surface in their eyes a mix of frustration along with the sympathy. They want to help. It’s just they don’t know how because there is no cure for your medical condition. That’s when I’m so thankful that I can turn to God and his Word to help me. Take a look at the verses above. Even the apostle Paul in the Bible, prayed three times to be healed of his affliction. And even though we aren’t told what that affliction was, whether it was physical or emotional, we do know he turned to God for help and God chose not to heal Paul the way he wanted. Yet, he still had the confidence that God was with him. Sometimes that can happen to us when there is no cure. But I know for me, I don’t give up on seeking God. For, God will always answer our prayer with the grace to endure any pain or illness just as he did for Paul. God’s strength is sufficient for our weaknesses. |
AuthorKaren Dalske is a freelance writer, public speaker, is active in her church and writes her blogs out of her own experiences of pain, illness and loss. Archives
December 2020
Categories
All
|