Doctor Luke 2022-07
As a family doctor, I am constantly confronted with the question, “Why me?” Especially when a patient is diagnosed with cancer. Most people’s response is: disbelief, self-pity, or anger; doesn’t God love me? It’s not just when we’re physically sick that we often have this reaction. I find that many people are dissatisfied with many things, for example: why is my husband so lazy and not working? Why doesn’t my wife respect me? Why does my child keep letting me down? These people are often depressed or feel joyless. We seem to have eaten the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, constantly criticizing and making judgments, judging that nothing is good, or complaining that God is unfair and the environment is incorrect. Such people often live in misery. Are you such a person?
But the first chapter of Ephesians says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-” (Ephesians 1:3-5). Can you imagine it? God, the creator, had chosen us to be his children through Jesus, before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless. God has not promised us all it would be well, but he loves us, and the circumstances he gives us ultimately benefit us. Do you believe what is said in Romans? “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
So how should we deal with adversity and sickness? The answer is to accept the environment God has given us. The domain God has given us for our bodies and minds will ultimately benefit us, and we are to accept and embrace this environment with gratitude and joy. When we open our hearts to the circumstances God has chosen for us, we will discover the secret of happiness and see the richness of God’s love. So instead of eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and enduring lots of pain, let us ingest the fruit from the Tree of Life and enjoy the freedom and joy God has provided us.