This is a continuing series of letters written to a friend struggling with thriving in a life of chronic illness. I hope that they might encourage you wherever you are today, too.
Ephesians 6:12 DLNT because the struggle for us is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evilness in the heavenly-places.
Dear Sarah,
Yup, I agree, that is an odd choice of a verse with which to start a letter. But, I think, it’s an especially appropriate one for those of us yearning to thrive in living with chronic illness. This verse provides a different approach to our days (and nights) and people in them, be they ones we consider as good (or not).
Far too often, we can get consumed with diagnoses, symptoms, treatments, and everything our body is screaming at us to fix, i.e. blood and flesh. And when we do, we lose sight of what’s really important – eternal purpose and everlasting plans. This is God’s perspective – 2 Peter 3:9 GW The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.
That blood and flesh isn’t what we are fighting; it’s the darkness that beckons us to descend into believing the lies that this hard of blood and flesh is our eternity and joy is forever forsaken. Even if we recognize those lies, we must fight to keep our lives from embracing them as reality. Such choices as: googling every new (or old) symptom for another answer; only talking and thinking about diagnoses and disappointments; downplaying a good day (or moment) while dreading the next not-good one; choosing what I want instead of what will help someone else; and a host of other seemingly unimportant choices that add up to shaping a life for thriving (or not). These are easy ways to live blood and flesh today; these are not the choices that will push back darkness for thriving today or tomorrow.
Our lives are not our own. Our lives are not confined to these bodies. Our lives are not constrained by what we feel.
Our God has our bodies and our souls held forever in His hands and in His plan.
Our God has purpose far beyond what we can know or imagine.
Our God has made us for Him.
And in the making of us for Him, He has crafted our limitations in lavish love and our challenges for Christ’s compassion to be made known to the nations. He wants to use our suffering as He did Christ’s – to beckon one and all to come to Him for salvation. We cannot waste our time languishing in what has been lost. We must revel in what remains – the opportunity to join Christ in suffering so that we might learn trusting obedience (Hebrews 5:8 MSG). And if we learn that trusting obedience, then thriving is the natural outcome, no matter what the struggle with blood and flesh looks like in our lives.
Because the reality for our lives is what David said best in Psalm 16:6 NOG Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful. Our inheritance in Christ is indeed beautiful; our lives have been laid out as pleasant places when we see them as gifts for His glory and the good of His people. Pleasant places are a gift but require work to maintain as pleasant places, just like any garden or farm. Our Good God gifts pleasant places to us and graces us with the assignment of caring for them as stewards, not owners… more to come on that idea in future letters from this old soil scientist, so stay tuned, dearest Sarah…
Praying for you with much love and understanding,
Your friend,
Beth
written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2023.
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