I've been facing health struggles for some time. I'm so grateful that it is unlikely that anything I'm dealing with will do me any real harm. It is a strange feature of my journey with chronic illness that I feel the need to calm the fears of others by letting them know that..."yes, I'm sick all the time, but I'm not dying."
I struggle, too, with accepting the limitations on my life and livelihood without anything being really "wrong". As Pastors, I think we have a unique challenge that way. I remember the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the head of the "Knight's Who Say Ni" fights Arthur and quickly loses his limbs to Arthur's sword while repeatedly insisting "It's just a flesh wound." And we know that guy! We have seen the power of God partner with the power of the human spirit to see people endure incredible challenges, pain, and life-threatening illness while still taking the kids to soccer and making the cupcakes and volunteering for the church rummage sale. And because of these brave folks, no matter how often we teach people about balance and self-care, we feel the need to justify caring for ourselves unless we are literally dying. But chronic illness and chronic pain is something that the church is going to have to deal with in a way we never have before, and we who struggle may be just the people to craft a vision of what the spiritual journey looks like when you are walking it with pain in your joints. I'd love to hear what you are reading regarding the church and chronic illness. In my own personal journey, I've just finished A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain by Imani Perry. It was an insightful reminder of the dangers of ignoring our pain as well as an encouragement that I am not alone in my struggles and my ridiculous ways of pretending I'm ok when I'm not.
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AuthorRev. Jana Quisenberry is the minister at Brightwood Christian Church. She's an ordained pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). ArchivesPlease Note:
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