An Open Letter...

I felt burdened in my heart to share this letter I wrote to cancer patients. If you are currently going through a time of illness that has left you feeling less, take a moment and read....Dear Friend,.When I first began as a volunteer chaplain at Caylor Nickel Hospital, Bluffton Indiana, in 1987 I realized there were many more people facing health issues than I had ever imagined. Now, 20 years later, I am ministering to those individuals on an daily basis. Gilead Ministries has become such a blessing to me. And by the response of the cancer and long term illness patients we serve, it’s become a blessing to others as well..I write to you today about a difficult and yet important topic. I would say that many of us have felt uncomfortable around people who are Christians. My own experience early on in my church attendance was a bit intimidating. Although I have been a Christian for over 30 years now, I still find times when I struggle with the reality of God and the call to live for him. You may find this a little difficult yourself..I want to talk to you honestly for just a moment. From promises of wealth and prosperity to health and well being, the claims of many who represent the church can make us all a little weary. This is especially true if we have struggled with an illness that has taken away some of the very things we thought God would provide. The most challenging thing for me as I reach out to you and others who have a struggle with physical battles, is to help you understand that God works most often through a time of pain or trial..The only illustration, though it may fall way short of understanding God, is to equate it with the very treatment you have received for your own illness. Sometimes the administration of the treatment is painful or causes other sickness, but it is in this process that healing comes. Unlike medical treatment, God’s use of our pain is not limited by the fraility of a human body or intelligence. Where doctors don’t understand and are restricted by their own humanness, God does understand and brings assurance. He says to you and I, "there is something bigger than sickness"..Like you, I want to live forever. The very thought of death sometimes chills me to the soul. I have had a number of trials with my health in the last 10 years, none of which were so bad my life was threatened. Still, because I am human, they brought my heart pain. Two years ago, after 2 surgeries and my father’s death in a four month period, I battled depression and questioned all that I was going through. You may be experiencing or have experienced the same thing. I want you to know that I care, and although I cannot totally understand all you feel, God does..It is my prayer that you find hope, beyond the darkness of your difficulties. Hope in something bigger than the brevity of life here on earth. Hope in a God that says to you, "I love you". It’s why he sent His Son Jesus to earth..Friend, I did not write this letter to offend and I don’t presume to know what your relationship with God is. I only knew I had a burden to share these thoughts with you. Thank you for your patience with me as I shared my heart with you..Want a relationship with Jesus Christ?.Click Here... http://www.needhim.org/
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Till Next Time...