A HEALING SPIRIT

"The spirit of a man can put up with his malady," says a  Bible proverb, " but as for a stricken spirit, who can bear it?"  (Proverbs 18:14) Trauma can afflict the spirit of  a family as well as  "the spirit of a man." Yet, "a calm heart is the life of the fleshly organism." (Proverbs 14:30) Whether a family  successfully copes  with serious illness of not depends to a large extent  on the attitude, or spirit, of its members. -Compare Proverbs 17:22. 

One Christian woman had to endure seeing her husband impaired by a stroke only six years after they were married.  "My husband's speech was badly affected, and it became almost impossible to converse with him," she recalled.  "The mental strain of trying to understand what he was struggling to say was very great."  Imagine, too, the agony and frustration that the husband must have experience.  What did the couple do? Even though they lived a long way from the Christian congregation, the sister did her best to stay spiritually strong by keeping up-to-date with all the latest organizational information as well as with the continual supply of spiritual food in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines.  This gave her spiritual strength  to care for her dear husband until his death four years later.

In Job's case it was he, the one afflicted, who remained strong.  "Shall we accept merely what is good from the true God and not accept also what is bad?"  He asked his wife.  (Job 2:10)  No wonder the disciple James later cited Job as an outstanding example of patience and forbearance!  At James  5:11 we read:  "You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful."   Similarly today, in many cases the courageous attitude of the sick family member has helped others in the household to maintain a positive outlook. 

Most who have had to deal with sickness in the family agree that initially it is not unusual  for family members to have  a difficult time facing the facts.  They also point out that the way in which one comes to view the situation is extremely important. Changes and adjustments in the household routine may be difficult at the outset. But if a person really makes the effort, he can adapt to a new situation.  In dong so, it is important that we not compare out circumstances with those of others  who do not have sickness in the family, thinking that their life is easier and that "it is just not fair!" Actually, no one really knows what burdens others have to bear.  All Christians find comfort in Jesus' words:  "Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you." -Matthew 11:28. 

Next time: Setting Priorities

From the book: THE SECRET OF FAMILY HAPPINESS, 1996