When you have a chronic illness, at least in the beginning, people urge you not to ‘give in’ to your illness. They do it automatically, for it is the thing our culture says to those who are stricken in some way.
‘Don’t let it get the better of you!’ they urge. ‘Don’t be defeated!’ – as if we have got bored of battling, and slackened off with a Mars Bar, leaning on our shield, forgetting we ought to be sword-wielding.
But I remember being a child and standing in the sea in France. I was in the shallows, paddling and laughing. Suddenly, a huge wave came out of nowhere. For what seemed like ages, I was thrown into limbo by the wave, submerged in an underwater prison.
For as long as I was under the water, I felt lifeless, powerless, moving only where the wave wanted me. Then the wave spat me onto land, and I coughed and spluttered while my body recovered from being slapped very hard by a ton of water.
That’s what it feels like to be struck by tragedy – whether by illness, grief, poverty or loss. This is what it feels like to be in a limbo season of life.
It’s not a battle: it’s losing your foothold and swirling beneath the waves. You cannot overcome when the hard times come; you are overcome.
This is our reality. But it is not the only story. We see Jesus: who overcame death, literally. He defeated evil.
This is why John’s gospel talks about overcoming not in terms of something we do, but what Jesus does for us. It doesn’t mean we don’t lose our foothold or get swept into tragedy. It just means that when we do, we can grab onto the hand of someone who isn’t swayed by the waves and can help us through.
Crucially, if we tell Christians they should overcome, we fail them. It is not our job to overcome. Christ has done it, and Christ will do it for us.
All we can do in suffering is reach out a desperate hand. Fortunately, that is all we need to do.
‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ John 16:33, NIVUK
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Well said. I have learned to roll with those rough waves knowing that Jesus has me and will not let me go.
You’re so right, Tanya, and this is one of the things at which I regularly fail.
With a terminal illness, I am determined to overcome, myself, no matter what. It’s not likely that I will succeed, and in many ways the hubris has tuned me into a ruthless and not-so-very-nice person, as I will cut loose everything in order to see tomorrow.
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https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/10/your-dying-spouse-395-caregiver-to.html
“It is not our job to overcome. Christ has done it, and Christ will do it for us.” Yes! We try so hard to overcome things, but it’s not our job. Our job is to reach out to Christ who will overcome. Thanks for such an insightful post! So many blessings to you, dear Tanya, with much love! xoxo
On target as usual. I have a “tossed in the waves” story, too, but my dad (who powered thru aortic valve surgery yesterday) was actually holding my hand when the waves swept me off my feet. I’ve also thought of God’s hand like my dad’s in the waves of life; thanks for the reminder! Hope the cough is not tossing you too much any more…
Yes! What you said! All of it! I wholeheartedly agree. Thank you. Xx
Yes, yes, yes!!! Standing on a chair and screaming YES! You have put into words what I want to say. Thank you so much for this! I am so helpless in the face of chronic migraine and you have said just what I need to hear and say to others! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing. This is so true and needs to be the reminder we give each other over and over.
Amen and thank you, thank you, thank you!