Caring for the Sick
I have lived with type one diabetes since I have been 14 years old. A chronic illness that you can’t always see the outside effects of. As i have gotten older the complications have gotten worse. You do the best you can to control your diabetes and sometimes your best is not good enough. The complications overtake you and control. You are no longer able to do the things you want to do or be the person you want to be. It seems you hopes and dreams slowly slips away and your focus is now on this stupid disease and how to stay alive.
At first people come to your aid and they help you out. And then the days become years and people have lives and the world goes on. it goes on for them and feel like you are forgotten. You hear a lot of the same stuff as a Christian. Read your Bible more, pray more. Only if you would have more faith you would be healed. In the Christian world and non-christian world people don’t understand there is a difference between type one diabetes and type two diabetes. They are very different!
I think most chronically ill people struggle with depression. If you think about that would make since. Being home alone all the time. Being in the hospital all the time. Fighting for there lives off and on. Feeling a since of hopelessness is a common thing.
Whatever the sickness is or chronic illness is it is important that we as a church show love and compassion to the hurting. Below is some tips that I have come up with over the years from my own suffering. Ways that church’s can reach out and love. This is not and exhaustive list but it’s a start.
So how can the church help?
- Be present! Visit the chronically person weekly.
- Bring them some kind of food or snack if they can eat. Ask them in advance what they can eat and what there favorite food is. And don’t question them. If there diabetic and they want ice cream bring them ice cream the probably know what they are doing.
- Ask them if you can do a chore for them. For me the hardest thing for me to do is laundry. I had a lady at my church do all my laundry one time and it was such a blessing.
- Get them out of the house. Ask them if they want to get out of the house. Not to got to an appointment but just go somewhere fun. I know when I was not driving it was nice to just leave the house.
- Just don’t ask if you can pray for go to their house and pray for them.
- Listen to them! We tend to want to give advice. Sometimes sick people just want people to listen to them.
- Let them be part of. Being sick makes you feel worthless. So if there is some type of ministry that a person can be a part of that will help them still feel a part of your church.
- Just don’t send emails and Facebook messages but send letters and cards of encouragement.
- Chronic Ilness Sunday where the whole service is dedicated to praying for those who are sick and having the elders laying hands on those who are there on Sunday and praying for them.
