INTRODUCTION: The serpent offered Eve the fruit, saying, “You will not die.” By saying this, he not only denied the reality of death (when she would indeed die) but also hid what that death would look like. Death is not only seen at the moment of passing from this life to eternity. It is seen throughout life as our bodies deteriorate. We have all experienced sickness. What is happening? You could say that we are slowly dying. And beyond the pain and discomfort of sickness, there is another reality that the serpent did not share with Eve: that sickness can create conflict in the home.
Illness disrupts the plans not only of the person suffering
from the illness but also of his caregivers, both short-term and long-term. It
entails unexpected expenses. Sometimes these costs are unbearable and result in
heavy debt.
The caregiver endures sleepless nights and has to continue
working during the day. Some illnesses are obvious. In these cases, people
outside the home are aware of the situation. A wheelchair, for example, is a
constant reminder that something is wrong. But when someone is unwell but shows
no obvious symptoms to others, people forget or never notice and, therefore,
can end up causing even more harm with their words or their silence. If we add
to the illness the possibility of accidents or mishaps, the situation leads to
further complications. If someone is at fault for causing the accident, the injured
person may be tempted to harbor resentment toward another.
These conditions can provoke the person suffering from the
illness to react negatively. The person suffering from the illness may even
lash out at those who are actually there to help. This can cause the caregiver
to respond with anger, fear, and discouragement as both suffer under an
unexpected and unwanted burden.
Undoubtedly, these moments require help: the extended
family, the local church, and even the wider community can participate in
alleviating the suffering. But due to time constraints and the nature of the
topic itself, I will focus only on the home. More specifically, I will focus on
how we think about these situations. And, to be even more specifically, I am
thinking primarily of those who are the caregivers.
As with any other storm, it will help to have fixed points
of reference, to be rooted to solid ground for stability. These fixed, stable
points are truths that do not move, even when everything else seems to. God
wants the truths of the Bible to keep us firm in times of illness. So let’s allow
the realities of God's Word to keep us firm. We will look at six realities.
1. Sickness is not God's final will.
We are so accustomed to correctly repeating that God is
sovereign that we can sometimes give (or believe) the idea that God takes
pleasure in sickness or, even worse, in sin itself. It is necessary to remember
that God is not the author of sin, that sickness is the consequence of sin,
that the original creation had neither pain nor sickness, and that in the new
creation there will be none of these evils (Genesis 1:31; Revelation 21:1-4).
We are also accustomed to hearing about the “circle of life,”
the idea that it is normal for an organism to go through certain processes and
to eventually die. But, for the Christian, this is not normal. Sickness and
death are interruptions in God’s design.
Therefore, it is right to grieve and let others grieve when
sickness strikes.
Sickness is not God’s final will. But, despite this first
reality…
2. Sickness is the common condition of humanity.
Our experience is that normal life requires the stronger to
care for the weaker. Real life consists of caring for babies, those with
conditions like Down syndrome, those with terminal cancer, and the elderly.
It is necessary to recognize this reality because if we
don't accept it, when illness strikes one of our family members, or when it
strikes us, we might think it's unusual. But it isn't. It's real life.
But even recognizing these realities, illness puts tremendous
stress on us. It is necessary to recognize a third reality:
3. Sickness is not the real cause of conflict.
James 4:1-4 explains that conflict stems from our own
frustrated desires. The desire may not be bad. In fact, it may be right.
Sickness in the home may disrupt short-term plans (postponed vacations, a
missed study session) or long-term plans (“I was going to be a pastor,” or “I
am a pastor, but challenges at home hinder my ministry”). These are good plans
and good desires, but when circumstances rob us of what we wanted, we may react
in the ways James describes in this chapter.
The good news: God offers forgiveness (James 4:6-10).
God not only offers forgiveness; He also offers truths,
realities that can support us in these moments. Here is another:
4. God saved you in order that you would care for your loved one.
Have you ever stopped to think about why God saved you?
Ephesians 2 tells us that He saved us for good works (see especially verse 10).
This implies that He saved you not only to live in His
presence for eternity. God saved you to clean up vomit. God saved you to hear
the same story for the hundredth time from your loved one who has already
forgotten she told it to you. God saved you to wake up again to give the
medicine every four hours. God saved you to be there for your loved one, to clean
them, to give another massage.
Having this perspective doesn't take away the difficulty of
the illness, but it encourages and motivates.
There is another related reality.
5. God will save you through the illness.
God has committed to completing in you, the caregiver, the
work He began (Philippians 1:6). What work? How will He do it? Through
everything that touches you (Romans 8:28). This promise is for every believer;
those who love God are the justified who will be glorified. We began by saying
that sickness is not God's final will. But God's sovereignty encompasses
everything, even the sin He hates. It also encompasses the effects of the Fall.
God will use your loved one's illness to save you. You are already justified,
but the process of sanctification continues.
Take heart with one more reality.
6. God can give opportunities and fruit even in the worst circumstances.
Consider Paul in Rome, hindered by house arrest (Acts
28:30–31). Yet the work was unhindered (read the passage).
Finally, think about this.
7. The way you treat your sick loved one is the way you treat Christ Himself.
Read Matthew 25:31–46
As you give the medicine, wipe, and listen to that story
again, it's worth thinking, "I am serving Christ Himself directly."
CONCLUSION: Christ has solved the problem of sin (and, therefore, physical illness)... yes, but not yet. We continue to grapple with sickness, and the front lines of the battle are in the home, where one gets out of bed (or not) and (sometimes) where one dies. Let this part of Christ's kingdom, the home, be a place where we think biblically, rooted in biblical realities. We conclude by recalling the first reality we saw, a glimpse of the end times (Revelation 21:1-4):
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw
the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from
the throne saying, ‘The dwelling place of God is now among the people, and he
will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with
them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
things has passed away.’”
Original notes in Spanish; translated with Google Translate
with minor edits.
