Chronic Illness
The Centers for Disease Control says that as of 2012 nearly half of all adults in America (117 million people) had some form of chronic disease. The likely hood is that you or someone you know suffers from chronic illness or pain. The results of this can be devastating both on the individual as well as the family. The consequences of such a situation is not only the financial cost but the emotional and spiritual burden hat such a problem brings as well. These are the issues that are often the most overlooked unfortunately.
In this article I want to address the emotional and spiritual condition of those who struggle with chronic problems and try to give both insight and answers for the trial. Let’s begin with the emotional side of things. People who have chronic illness and pain struggle with a variety of emotional issues. Anxiety over the illness itself, over the expenses, over the strain on their families and over the prospects of ever having relief or recovery from the illness or pain can dominate the mind. Grief over the loss of personal abilities, health, family response and social life can be overwhelming. Then there are the emotional issues of loneliness, depression and the constant mental battle that you cannot take any more. These issues can be many times as devastating as the problem itself.
Can there be hope of victory over the emotional problems even if the physical issues remain? The answer to that is yes, but not without a fervent dedication to the solution. Many times in counseling I have told people one of the most basic truths of life which is that life is not about what happens to you, it is about how you respond to it. Victory in life is not about what your circumstances are, it is about how you respond to those circumstances and whether you let them dominate you, or you rise above them. This is at its core a matter of cultivating a determined mind. The control of your mind is where you must begin if you are going to have victory over the emotional issues brought about by your situation. The Bible consistently teaches us that the main way to have victory over troubling thoughts is to develop directed thinking.
