By Mark Kelly
There was a time in my life when I was very sick – deathly ill, in fact. For three years, I struggled with Crohn’s disease. I lost a quarter of my body weight and lived in almost constant pain. Because I was self-employed, we had no health insurance. Some of you know firsthand what it is like to be in such dire straits.
God used that time in our lives to deepen us spiritually and draw us closer to himself. But I’m not sure we would have made it if it hadn’t been for the people who took the time to care for us. Friends from church brought us meals, helped with our expenses, even paid some doctor bills. God ministered to us at times by making his own presence very real, but most of the time we experienced his love through our church family.
People who have been seriously ill know how uncertainty about the future can fill your heart with anxiety, how weary you become of symptoms that just won’t go away, how tired your family grows in constantly caring for you – and how much it means to have other members of God’s family be there with you. Even when they don’t know what to say or do, the simple fact that they care enough to be there is a profound, tangible demonstration of God’s love and care for you.
Most of us underestimate how much we can help people who are sick. We tend to think only medical professionals can really make a significant contribution. But each of us can care for the sick, even in overseas settings that we tend to think must be left to the professionals. What you understand about basic hygiene would be lifesaving information in some villages. And many infants and children die from illnesses that could be prevented if you were there doing something as simple as handing out mosquito nets.
We need to care for the sick – the fourth element of P.E.A.C.E. – because God commands us to do it. In a column from The Better Life, Pastor Rick says there are seven ways you can help.
Read it here.
