Soul Scientist

Psalm 90:12

CEV Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.

MSG Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!

AMP So teach us to number our days, That we may cultivate and bring to You a heart of wisdom.

Dearest Sarah,

Even and especially here in chronic illness, “time is of the essence.”¹ Sure, the nights and days of pain, grief, and loss can linger long and without the relief of sleep or answers of how to try and treat some or all of this. Yet, no matter how long the lingering or deep the longing, we always have opportunity for worship and work.

Worship and work in the reframing of the time that has been entrusted to us in the now and not-yet. As you well know, what we do with what we’ve been given is both our opportunity and responsibility. On that note, please take a minute and go and read the story of the servants and the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Reading this is definitely worth the time to do right now!

I’d even go so far as to say that with chronic illness, we’ve been entrusted with more than those not living with disease/disability. This suffering is our opening and avenue to giving hope and help to others in their pain according to 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 EHV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our trouble, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the same comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. Just as the Scripture says, we don’t have to share the same situation(s) to be able to share the comfort – both to give and to receive it. As my rheumatologist tells me, every patient and his/her response to disease and treatment is as unique as the person. No one is alike in suffering, but no one is alone in suffering (see Hebrews 13:5). And all of us need that reminder to combat our emotions which try and deceive us with the lie we are alone and nothing can change that.

But the truth is this: each and every one of us has been carefully crafted by our Good God for this time, place, and person in front of us, be it hospitals, bedrooms, or waiting rooms.
And He is always with us, wherever we are and nothing can or will change that because nothing can or will change Him (see Hebrews 13:8).

Speaking of waiting rooms, even if we spend hours or days in them, we don’t live in them. This time is for working, not waiting. David alludes to this idea in Psalm 37:7a NET Wait patiently for the Lord! Wait confidently for him!. Even the command to wait here uses a Hebrew word implying action in the work of waiting. For the work of waiting is not a giving up or sitting back but a moving forward in a growing and expectant hope of what God will do in, through, and for you as you trust Him in this time while looking forward to what’s coming. While we’re talking about looking forward, please stop and read this at least twice and aloud so it sinks in deep, Hebrews 12:1-2 ERV We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall.We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.

We do have great people around us as examples. Now they might not be in our lives or homes directly but they’re in Scripture and books available to us. I’d strongly encourage you to use this time to study stories of faith in the Bible and in biographies. Start with Hebrews 11 and move out from there into bold biographies like those of Amy Carmichael², Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, Hudson Taylor, Lottie Moon, George Mueller, and so many others. They lived faithfully in suffering in many ways while consistently giving the comfort they received out to others around them, just like we see modelled in Scripture by Ruth, Esther, Nehemiah, Daniel, and Paul. And yes, of course! The ultimate example of our Christ Jesus Who showed all of these great people the way to live in the freedom of trusting God in all ways and all times.

If your symptoms don’t allow for reading, no worries. Look into setting aside time for listening or watching these people’s stories. And while you’re reading, listening, or watching, consider how your story can impact someone else in your choosing to share comfort with them in a card, text, email, or call with a Bible verse (or three). The more you pour truth and grace into others, the more you can receive what the Holy Spirit wants to pour into you for the challenges of today and the not-yet.

As always, I pray for you with much love as I write to you. And as I think of you so many times during the day and night…

Your friend,

Beth  

¹ origin unknown as cited in www.quora.com on 6/22/23

² In case you didn’t know, Amy Carmichael started and ran an orphanage in India from her bed for over twenty years. She was in chronic pain and loss from her disease(s) but lived victoriously in hope in her Jesus. Her persistence in faith through service saved the lives of countless children and influenced an entire nation’s way of thinking about life and death.

written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2023.

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Update on writing – my fantastic editor and I are nearly finished with the final edits on “Well-Grounded: Cultivating Intimacy with God” so all is on track for it’s December release from Northeastern Baptist Press. The more work we do on this book, the more excited I get about the book! Be sure and sign up with them to receive release dates of all their books. Here’s their link:

https://www.nebpvermont.com/books

And finally, as always, if you’re looking for a speaker for your event or group, I’d be honored if you’d consider asking me. It’s always JOY to talk about Jesus and science and Scripture and all the things that fill our days!