The Diagnosis and the Cure

Instead of settling into a pit of morbid introspection, we can settle our hearts in the arms of our Savior.

I liken the pain to labor—the pain I feel when I’m having what I call a “bout of my severe stomach pain” as I text friends for prayer. It’s the kind that makes me grip anything in sight, curl up into a fetal position, and send out breathless prayers toward God. “Help” is often all I can muster. Maybe “get me through this,” but not usually. There are many trials I’ve lamented to the Lord in my life. Chronic illness is certainly one of them. 

I’ve found a strange sense of acceptance and rest since discovering a diagnosis though. When I’m in a flare or have a bad week, I find myself less frustrated with my body—there’s a reason this is happening, my intestines are twisted, this makes sense. A diagnosis means I can search for a cure. I can do what I can to try to feel better. It’s a starting point on the road to recovery. Before I found out I have intestinal malrotation, I was floundering my way through the pain. I found myself despairing, despising my body, and begging God why I had no answers. Why wouldn't he give them to me? And then, he did. 

It’s not a perfect analogy, because after all, in my case and many others, there either isn’t a cure or the treatment is faulty at best, but it reminds me of sin and salvation. If we don’t know we are sick with sin, we will remain oblivious to our need for a Healer. Maybe we know we have a sin problem but believe it’s up to us to fix it. This leads to despair—we can’t fix it. The good news is, we have a diagnosis. The better news? There’s a perfect, sure-thing cure! Jesus paid our debt and took our sin upon himself that we might become righteous. We have a diagnosis and we’ve believed in the cure. Now, we can rest. 

When we give into sin, we can rest in Christ who has made us pure through his shed blood on the cross. Of course we still fight sin and pursue growth in holiness, but we don’t have to wonder, “what’s wrong with me?!” because we know our flesh is waging war against the Spirit in us, but the Cure has already won. Instead of settling into a pit of morbid introspection, we can settle our hearts in the arms of our Savior. We can look to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith—the Cure.

---

ICYMI
Recent Essays, Articles, and Poems:
Grief Oblivion on the blog
Like Mama, Like Son: Facing Anxiety Together on Risen Motherhood
November Recs | The Bible and Anxiety + What's on My Christmas List
Navel-Gazing Won’t Help You Grow on Well-Watered Women