Missing Dinner

I missed church today, again. I hate missing. For the last two years, I've missed so much that I feel like I'm starving. I watch the online services but, while they're good, it isn't being there. Spiritually, I'm 95 pounds and I'm hungry!

I'm recovering from arm surgery to repair a pinched nerve in my elbow. They used staples, and a week after surgery, it has become infected. Not surprising for me with my wonky immune system. If I take no RA meds, I am a immunity warrior. With RA meds, I'm a ticking time bomb for infections. 

The pain from the staples at the infection site is horrendous, and there is swelling that is putting a strain on the staples. I wondered why it was still hurting so badly after a week. It's been hurting worse for the last three days and I couldn't figure it out. Well, in my defense, trying to look at an incision on the inside of your arm from the elbow to the mid-upper arm is difficult; with my faulty vision, even what I can see is questionable. It took mirrors and a lot of light to get a good look. 

So, tomorrow I'll call the doctor early and try to get in or get advice. Truthfully, I should have known something was up. I have hurt so bad since Thursday, all over my body. I've also been sleeping twelve hours a day. That's too much, even for my sleep deprived self.

I'm one of those who believe that to maintain your spiritual stability, you need to be in church, to fellowship with other believers, to worship in community, and to learn the Word of God. There is a valid reason God established churches, and it wasn't to show off your new shoes or watch a show.

I guess, in my mind, it is like being called for dinner. Family dinners of my childhood were wonderful. Everyone sitting together, laughing, talking, sharing their joys or their griefs and learning what it meant to be family. I miss it so much. They really were as wonderful for me as the paintings you see. I had a large extended family and our family reunions were the same. Relatives, in-laws, ex-in-laws, children, step-children, and old girlfriends or boyfriends were in the crowd. I never knew everyone at our family reunion because of that. Those days are all gone and so are the members. 

The only place I still feel that kind of atmosphere is church. I think that is the way it is supposed to be. I miss those days. And when I miss church, I feel the same longing to go home as I do when I remember my family dinners. 

You can fill up on bits and bites when you're hungry but there is just nothing like sitting down to a real meal. I don't like missing dinner.

I'm So Sick!

I’ve been praying for some people specifically lately. Several contacts have health issues and others I pray for as a matter of course. Family is on the list, as are my pastor’s family and my friends. As I prayed for a specific problem, I realized I wasn’t actually praying about the “illness”. I was praying for a “symptom.” 

That thought stopped me in my tracks. 

With all my health problems, I can’t see any of them. They’re internal: immune system, liver, joints, ligaments. I have a disease that's invisible to everyone. I can see the damage to joints, feel the intense pain in my joints and ligaments, experience the brain fog, fatigue, and constant aches. That isn't the disease. Those are all symptoms of a more serious problem. 

When we see sin in anyone’s life, we’re not seeing the problem. We’re seeing a symptom of an underlying disease. The spiritual problem is not visible, maybe not even to the victim. Many people think they’re “all right”. If you point out something you see as wrong, they may tell you don’t know what you're talking about. May, in fact, say you have a problem.

Many cancer patients don’t know they’re sick until they’re in Stage 4. That’s basically a death sentence. They may not even have visible symptoms until they’re weeks from death. Horrible to contemplate that you may die and never realize you're sick. 

Behavior is not the illness. There are people who are so sweet and kind, but in their heart may be the darkest intents. You only see the pretty package. What people do may be unpleasant, unkind, or evil, but those things are a symptom of a much deeper, much more serious sickness. 

I think the Lord checked my spirit on this issue because I spend a lot of time praying for symptoms. “Oh Lord, heal the pain!” or “Oh Lord, keep them from doing that!” 

In John 11:4 they called Jesus to pray for a very ill Lazarus and he told them, “This is not a sickness that will kill him but will glorify God.” But he died. Still, Jesus went and wept at the tomb. Not because Lazarus was dead, but because of their lack of faith. Then he prayed for Lazarus. He didn’t ask for Lazarus healing. He went straight to the source. “Lazarus, come here.” He completely ignored the illness that killed him.

In Luke 8: 48-55 Jairus called on Jesus to heal his dying daughter. We don’t even know what was wrong with her, and she died before her father finished telling Jesus the problem. When he went to the house, he again ignored the symptoms. He just told her to get up. Then he told them to feed her, the only symptom he addressed! It probably wasn't a symptom, but she may not have been able to eat for a while.

So, your loved one drinks and smokes. That is not the illness! It is a symptom of a much deeper problem. They lie and steal. Horrible! That is not the illness! When we pray for people, we need to stop focusing on their symptoms and address the problem we can’t see. What is the underlying issue? This is what a physician does daily. What diseases do the symptoms indicate? 

“I’M SICK!” Certainly you can pray for relief from the symptoms, but don’t stop there. Pray for deliverance from the spiritual illness that is killing them. Pray for the hidden diseases that may wrack the body. Pray the condition of the heart, mind, and soul! 

Why? Because when the disease disappears, the symptoms will disappear.