Living With a Serious Illness

"This is my life now...from this point forward."

- Dave

In the video, Dave shares the impact a progressive, incurable illness can have on your life. He was diagnosed in 2009 with a serious lung disease and has traveled a journey from heartache to acceptance of God’s plan for his life.

The initial diagnosis was shocking and caused Dave to wrestle with many concerns:

How will this impact my family?
How will this impact my career?
How long will I live?
Why did God allow this to happen?
Do I have adequate life insurance to protect my family if I die?

In time, Dave found peace as key concepts formed:

He realized that we are not alone. God is with us every step of the way.
He found that our attitude determines our joy.
He discovered that God still has plans for our lives. We can view life-changing circumstances as opportunities to help others. Dave has helped many teens while speaking at local schools about the danger of vaping.

If you or a loved one is dealing with a serious illness, here are some points to consider:

God is the great physician and the source of all healing. Whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, God may use one or more delivery systems for a cure. God can heal you through medicine, therapy, healthy living, and prayer. A significant portion of Christ’s time was dedicated to healing the sick. He healed all kinds of people: the blind, the paralyzed, the lame, the deaf, lepers, those who had fevers, and many with chronic illness. We find no record in the gospels of Jesus turning away anyone who came to him for healing, nor do we find that any disease was too difficult for him to heal. He even raised the dead. Miraculous healings still occur today.
There are going to be times in your life when you’ll need God to heal you or a loved one. Make an appointment to spend time with God and learn to trust His will for your life.

He will be a stronghold for those who call on His name.

Words to Live By:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV).

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached his ears” Psalm 18:6 (ESV).

Dr. Ron’s Perspective:

Serious illness takes a physical and psychological toll on the individual and their family. Making the rounds to doctor appointments and medical tests along with side effects of medications can leave everyone weary and burned out. Additionally, waiting for the results from various tests can often trigger fear and panic. People dream about the days when they felt better and wonder if they will ever feel healthy again. Whenever we experience a loss of control in our lives, it can prompt us to feel vulnerable and fragile. Doubt and fear can shake our spiritual foundations even for those individuals who have had strong faith in the past. So what purpose could a serious illness serve in someone’s life? Even considering that question requires a shift in our thinking. Instead of losing hope and doubting your purpose, we can look in a new direction with fresh meaning. This is the time to deliberately reach out to others who may be afraid and alone. By helping someone else, we help ourselves. This restores meaning and purpose to life even in the face of a severe health condition.

Grace Notes by Philip Yancey

“For those who suffer, and those who stand beside them, Job offers up an important lesson. Doubts and complaints are valid responses, not symptoms of weak faith- so valid, in fact, that God made sure the Bible included them all” (100).