Comments on: Sin and Sickness

By: MMM

MMM — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:11:25 +0000

It means I liked it, and linked it. Over on my own blog.

By: iMonk

iMonk — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:22:00 +0000

I have no idea.

By: Mary S

Mary S — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:12:11 +0000

Hi Michael, New to you but appreciate your “real-ness”. Will stay tuned. Loved your reflections on being sick. What is “ganked”?

By: The Chill Eastern Winds « Cogita Est Ora

The Chill Eastern Winds « Cogita Est Ora — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:14:05 +0000

[...] Michael Spencer over at Internet Monk has, as he so often does, said it better than I can :”Christian writing on the internet has the tendency to sound as if it is always coming from the warm glow of the study, with drippings of devotional gold appearing on the page after hours of prayer and meditation. Iâ€™d judge that to be, almost universally, a myth, and Iâ€™m not much on mythologies in my Christianity. There are times that one may be writing out of boredom, other times out of emptiness or despair, and even holding onto the crumbling edge between faith and unbelief. There will be times I will write from a season of joyful usefulness and other times I am writing in the slop of my own sinful pigpen.” [...]

By: Lainie Petersen

Lainie Petersen — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:25:03 +0000

Seems to me that illness can be a great teacher for both the healthy and the unwell.

When we are sick, we not only need care, but we may be very limited in how we can respond to others needs, even if those needs are very urgent. In the tension of not being able to respond to the needs of others, we can more plainly know how we are needed and be aware that we have no real control over how others need us. We can also become more aware of how we need others, even when we wish we didn’t.

For the well, the tension of illness works similarly: The well must accept that they cannot always have their needs met by someone, even if that someone “promised” to meet that need. Even if they love that “someone” dearly and that love is reciprocated. The sickness of another reminds us that our needs can’t always be met, no matter how important they are. It reminds us that we too are needed, even in the midst of our own needs What the sick need from the well is grace and care, even when the well suffer real setbacks because the other got sick.

Illness and wellness, and how we respond to both, are important parts of being one body.

By: Rick Ro.

Rick Ro. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:08:47 +0000

I was reflecting on Psalm 66:5 last week, “Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!” and sharing yesterday it with an adult Sunday school class that I facilitate. One of the things that struck me was how our tendency is to pray to God for healing mercies when we are sick, not recognizing that God has already done an awesome thing within our bodies that helps us fight off illness in the first place. I mean, if God hadn’t created in most of us an immune system and blood coagulation system and “you name it”, none of us would ever reach the age of 1. So I was thinking…look at the awesome thing God has done on our behalf, giving us bodies that can fight off diseases and illnesses and life-threatening crud.

I relate it a bit to your post, Michael, because of your equating illness with sin. We tend to think “woe is me, for I have a body that likes to sin,” but maybe…maybe…we can turn it around a little in our thinking. Maybe we can look at it as God has also given us bodies meant NOT to sin. Could that be another of His awesome works on man’s behalf, that He’s given us bodies that can fight off illness, and He’s given us bodies that are meant to fight off sin?

By: Debbie

Debbie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:23:00 +0000

You just described me with one difference: in order to avoid being the worst human and wife, when I am sick, I hole up in the guest room w/ all necessary items (including mini fridge, jugs of water, and medicine chest) until I am fit to be among the healthy. After 45 years, I’ve discovered anything positive gained from trying to remain active is promptly negated by my poor attitude/behavior. The unofficial quarantine serves to protect my loved ones from the offending sicko as well as the offending bug.

By: CJ

CJ — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:59:33 +0000

I am right there with you, my friend.

By: Radagast

Radagast — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:27 +0000

Oh I can empathize here. I can pretty much predict that when I am sick I am going to fail. Upon reflection part of it has to do with my level of tolerance – which drops to very low when I am sick and I fall from being rational to being irrational – going from my humanness to my mammalian brain and finally to my reptilian brain.

Secondly I guess I have to admit to myself that I don’t put myself out there to be taken care of (even though very deep down somewhere I want to be), but I expect everyone to understand. In fact I have expectations that no one should have expectations of me – because I am sick after all (most times I am going 100 miles an hour). Totally unrealistc but then I am not very rational when I am sick.

And thirdly I get the condition known as ‘the sickness made me do it’ meaning I lash out if provoked (or even asked a simple question, and take things too far or out of proportion (but I am sick you know).

So in a nutshell when I am sick I am at my worst as a human and husband God help me.

By: kcillini77

kcillini77 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:49:35 +0000

Message to those churches that abandoned the common cup for fear of the swine flu: look at the teachable moments like Michael’s your parishoners are missing out on!