How Things Look….

View the health service through the media and the picture is depressing. The waiting lists are to be measured in years not months, the staff are exhausted and demoralised and certain hospital departments are not fit for purpose. Clearly no one is going to claim the system is perfect and sadly there are situations of poor care but there is another view.

I’m almost four months into treatment. I’ve been in an out of a wide range of departments, sometime several times a week and this is what I’ve observed. We can be kept waiting. Generally though the reason for the wait is not that the doctor is on an extended tea break but taking time with a patient. I spent an hour in the consultant’s office last week as they outlined my treatment. It was a kindness to me although it had implications for the next appointment.

MORE THAN A PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED

As most people will know chemo has unpleasant side effects. Every effort though is taken to minimise these, from anti-sickness medication to preventative dentistry. I had two extractions this week because of their potential to cause infection when I receive my next round. It revealed an impressive attention to detail. And in an environment where there is plenty of fear and uncertainty the staff are invariably reassuring and positive. Supportive phone calls and kindly chats come with the treatment. It becomes clear you are not simply a medical problem to be solved.

OUTSIDE HELP?

Health, be it physical or mental is probably the one area we concede our need of outside help. No such assistance is needed when it comes to everyday life. Peter, one of Jesus disciples certainly didn’t need the services of a foot washing leader. Confronted with the warning he was about to behave like a deceitful traitor he assured Jesus he would stand by him to the death. Well, we know how that turned out. Peter might have been a big fit fisherman but morally there was a problem. There was nothing wrong with his intentions sadly though there was a tragic gap between what he wanted to do and be and what he actually was.

There is no credibility gap in the life of Jesus. He delivers precisely on what he promises. He simply loves his flaky disciples, full stop, end of sentence. He knows what Peter will do but nevertheless prays for him. Risen from the grave he sends a message to his disciples telling them to meet him in Galilee. He includes Peter by name. “Tell my disciples and Peter…” He encounters Peter after a dismal night’s fishing, first providing him with breakfast and then publicly reinstating him. We are morally compromised, people who say one thing and do another. There is real help on offer. Our hope is found in Christ’s steadfast love and wise leadership. Peter sums it up: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree….by his wounds we are healed.”

BUT WHY DO WE STILL SUFFER?

These things, be it the care for our bodies or the forgiveness for our sins testify to the goodness of God. You might be tempted to ask why we continue to suffer if God really is that loving. Why do Christians still get sick and become seriously ill?

Perhaps the greatest threat to our lives is not disease but as Peter illustrates self-confidence. Despite the fact that the Bible takes a very low view of our ‘understanding’ we can think we know what’s best. The Apostle Paul spoke of his ‘thorn in the flesh’ as being given to him to keep him from becoming conceited. Conceit, arrogance, self-importance was a threat for this great Christian. He recognised the value of his suffering that impressed on him his weakness and daily need of Gods grace. We never get beyond this.

And suffering sensitizes us to the needs of others. The Church is a body of people who are intended to weep with one another and to rejoice with one another. That will only happen if we have some insight into one another’s struggles. A doctor understands illness from one angle the patient from another. Part of the challenge for the medic is not to become emotionally involved. Effective praying and practical care arise from our personal experience of life’s tough situations. Spiritual progress can be measured in a growing list of needy people that we regularly pray for.