Oh The Places You'll Go
Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
Romans 8:35 (AMP)
All Alone! Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go through the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
-Oh the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
This walk is lonely. We can research diagnoses, symptoms, doctors, and treatments, but there’s no WebMD section that prepares us for or tells us how to conquer the isolation that comes with chronic illnesses.
It’s incredible how we can still feel lonely even with supportive spouses, friends, or family. We can be in a group of people and feel completely alone, all because of the pain and malfunctioning occurring inside of our bodies. And it’s hard to explain because I assume it sounds silly to anyone who hasn’t experienced a (bad) day in the life of chronic illness.
Then, there’s spiritual isolation. Isolation from God is something, in my humble opinion, that every Christian with chronic illness experiences. Pain, fatigue, and flares can cause us to question God’s love and proximity. And there’s no lonelier place for a believer than being a place of feeling forgotten by God.
Isolation is one of the top reasons I answered the call to create this blog and start a chronic illness ministry at my church. I understand isolation both as a spiritual attack and as an almost automatic response to a diagnosis (or prospect of one). But I also see isolation as a huge gateway to so many other emotional, mental, and spiritual issues most of us with chronic illnesses have.
“And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.”
When we’re alone, whether physically or emotionally, our minds start to wander. Unless we’ve regularly engaged in positive self-talk, it may be difficult for us to stop our minds from going to unhealthy places. When our body is compromised, often our thinking is too. In this capacity, isolation prevents us from speaking those thoughts aloud and this creates two scenarios. First, not talking aloud prevents us from hearing how “off” our own thoughts may be. Second, others cannot challenge our thoughts (in a helpful manner). Before we know it, we have sunk into catastrophic thinking, playing out endless scary and hopeless scenarios.
I would apply this to attending church as well. Sometimes, we are not feeling well enough physically to go to church, but in 2019, there’s access to encouraging messages from the Lord 24/7. There’s little excuse for isolating ourselves from the Word of God. We can, and should, recite and read the Bible on our own for encouragement and support. But sometimes, hearing God through the right person is powerful and impactful enough to snap our faith back to where it needs to be.
“There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.”
When we isolate ourselves, we limit our access to hope. The more we wallow in it, the more we won’t want to push forward. Hope can come in many forms: through the experiences and testimonies of others in similar situations, through reminders of our own past victories, and through the comfort of friends and family. Hope can be boosted indirectly as well; sometimes sharing our feelings - our fears and loneliness - can be a cathartic release that makes room for hope. And sometimes just experiencing the little yet beautiful things in life, like sitting in nature or seeing our children smile, or even eating an amazing meal can spark hope once again.
“But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go through the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.”
Even in isolation, we continue moving forward. For a lot of us, it’s just going through the motions, and we are simply coping the only way we know how - through movement. We won’t show it or admit it, but we’re holding a lot of emotions in. And then we find ourselves tired of the status quo. We get exhausted. Our emotions we tried so hard to hold in start leaking out.
There comes a point in the journey, whether it be from exhaustion, revelation, or growth, that we face our illnesses and size them up. We decide that we are determined to not let them overtake us or control our lives. Others, I guess, make the decision to give in (but I pray that’s not you). And along with the hope that comes with exerting power over our illnesses comes peace, strength, and what feels like a lightened burden.
So instead of treading through darkness, we turn to hiking up the steep slope of our illness. It’s not easy, but we understand what it takes. We face our illness. We have moments of weakness, but we pick ourselves back up again. And it’s my hope and prayer that on that hike, we realize that a little company or inviting fellow hikers is better, and safer, than doing it alone. I pray too, that you receive the revelation that God has not left you for one moment. His love endures through your illness, it does not stop at it. Let’s break the chains of isolation together. Oh the places you will go once you’re free!