Why are we still sick?
"God is punishing you" "You don't have enough faith" "You didn't pray right" "You like being sick" "You haven't repented" "If you rebuke the devil the right way then…" "You're too deep in sin."

I can imagine these things sound fairly familiar to us all. In some form, anyone who's sick for more than a week hears something akin to the above statements. Having problems with my wrists the way I do, and not having many people understand why doctors can't correct the problem with surgery, I've gotten these statements for almost 15 years now. I can't tell you the number of times people have prayed with me, for me, over me, under me, around me - ok you get the picture- and have told me " God will heal you when you listen to Him" in addition to other comments.

My first response to this list of statements went something like " Who died and made them all God?" All these statements are incredibly judgmental, and very " self-oriented". If God were into punishment and torture, then I could understand individuals explaining others problems away with these types of accusations. However, God is not one who loves to see his people suffer. Can you imagine what the world would be like if Everyone had to cope on a daily basis, the way we all do? They would change their tune very quickly.

Since God is a loving God, he wants the best for His people, then why all the suffering and pain? That's a question that's been asked since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. And that's where it all started. We weren't meant to hurt, to suffer, or for our bodies to wear out. We were meant to live infinitely. When Eve chose to go against God's plan, and His command, we found our bodies deteriorating, and being attacked in ways they were never meant to endure. Because God won't cross the free will He gave us, He had no choice but to fulfill the warning given to Adam in the Garden.

So, with all that being stated, why are we being told we don't have faith, or we haven't done something just right? Good Question.

Most of the time, especially in the Anglican-type culture, we tend to try to explain away things we don't understand. We have been taught if we don't' understand, we don't have intelligence. Often, we find Doctors doing this too. I have had so many diagnoses on my wrists, that I don't' know which one to believe. I just tell people " my wrists aren't working right now; the wrist union are striking for better working conditions". It seems to work for a time, but eventually, I have to explain the problems.

Too much explaining going on. Especially on the wrong things. So, go ahead and ask me why I'm rambling on, causing you to read this and inflicting more pain from all the laughter. I'm waiting. " Petal, why am I still in pain? Why hasn't God healed me?"

I'm so glad you asked! Let me be the first to tell you the real reason you're not healed.

I Don't Know.

Yes, you saw it. I will be the first to tell you I don't' know why you're not healed. I'm Not God, I don't claim to be, nor do I play one on the internet.

Ready for what I do know? It won't take long.

God loves you. God is not angry with you. You did nothing wrong to inflict this on yourself, and there's nothing you can do to change your circumstances. Don't call the psychologist for valium just yet. But, go ahead and send out the S O S. Grab your Bible, and read through Song of Solomon. Wait until you're done with the whole book, then ask yourself " why am I reading the passion of 2 people who I don't even care about?" Ah.. But You, my dear fellow suffer of physical pain, and spiritual binds, are one of those people.

Let me expound just a bit. When the book opens, we find these 2 looking for love. One is looking in all the wrong places, and another is waiting on her to settle down and find him. He causes a Lovesick spell to come over her, and then he plays hide and seek. The rustling of your pages tells me you're wondering where she's getting this. Think of it as a movie - take time to understand the symbolism, and to allow yourself to portray the main role. Men, this might be a bit harder for you because you have to think of yourself as the " Bride" rather than the bridegroom. It's a stretch, but it's worth it.

God is seeking after you with a fierce love. One look from us sends his heart racing, like a teenage crush! One of the things missing from the comments made is God's love for us. Look again at the statements at the beginning of the article. I'll help:

"God is punishing you" "You don't have enough faith" "You didn't pray right" "You like being sick" "You haven't repented" "If you rebuke the devil the right way then…" "You're too deep in sin."

How "you-centered" are these statements? How loving are they, how representative of a God who made you his favorite? God loves you, warts, pains, aches, meds, and all. I don't know why He allows us to hurt like we do, nor will I try to pretend to understand. I do know He loves us with a passion that we can never understand.

Now that you know God loves you, with such a fierce love, and you understand the individuals making the statements, though possibly well respected, have no understanding of God's love and mercy, are they easier to read? Can you now take the one most relevant to you, or the one you've heard the most and see the foundations of confusions they're based on? Let me re-emphasize; people hurt, and they lash out. As a good friend of mine says " hurt people hurt people". Instead of confusing you, try it this way; when people have been hurt in the past, especially by situations they don't understand, then they in turn hurt individuals who are hurt already. In essence it's a " taa daa" factor, meaning they want to be the first to strike in protection against an imagined strike. They try to explain away their insecurities of not understanding, and not being in control. They try to explain things that just can't be explained. In doing this, they manage to go blindly through life snapping on an other chain, suitcase, or bag stuffed with insignificant nonsense we just don't need. I know I have enough pain to deal with on my own, thank you just the same.

As a fellow sufferer and one who endures much questions from those who have no real concept of God's love, the ramifications of statements like these can be felt for years, and also hit very deeply. I will be one of the first to insist " sticks and stones may break my bones, but words endure forever". When one considers the impact the words of others had on their own life, it's often an encouragement that tends to fade away with time, and the degrading terms that linger, especially if stated by someone who " should" know better.

And one more thing - until you love yourself the way God loves you, don't assume you are worthless.

*Traci(Petal)*

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