Severe Illness ...

Monday, April 24, 2017. Over the past weeks we have been quite troubled by messages of severe illness in our environment. Several people struggle with cancer - and the messages of grows or improvements of metastasis and cancer markers seems to control our thoughts and our emotions.

Real Trouble …

There are various types of real trouble in our life. And cancer is a real trouble. Of course, there are many other illnesses in this world, which cause trouble and death. But we also know that cancer brings its own scare. It is a mixture of pain and horror which this illness often brings to our life. It seems to drag out all perspective, and leave us with no option than a faint hope and nearly complete despair!

What to do? How to react? What can I do myself when I am faced with very difficult diagnosis? What to do when I am with someone who is struggling with cancer? It is not easy to say. Too quickly we have empty words. The facts about cancer tell us today that in a significant percentage of cases the illness can be cured, there are so many people who have lived with cancer and survived, and others manage to live with the illness for many years. But we also know that a significant percentage of people have only years or months left, and the illness causes death and pain.

We should not close our eyes to all these possibilities. We do not know - we do not know our own future even if we feel well. Looking through the biblical books this morning, I read the following passage from the last biblical book, the revelation. It is about a perspective into another world, another creation - the great vision which God gives to his people about life and healing. Let us read:

Eternal Perspective …

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (from Revelation 22)

God does not guarantee us a life free of pain on this earth now. But he guarantees us a future which will have overcome pain and destruction. Healing is his ultimate target - even if here, in this world, we suffer together with the whole world. We take part in the suffering of creation, which has lost the connection with its creator.

As Christians, we have hope beyond death. We got to know Christ Jesus and his holy spirit. We got to know the message of forgiveness, truth and love, the message of the cross. In him, our soul is healed, and our body will be healed as well when his kingdom fully comes. Until then, we can hope for his healing already here. But we also know that we are just guests on this earth. Our home is with him, with the eternal God. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts