I see pts each and everyday who have illnesses that I can’t treat medically or surgically. I can offer them pain medicines or nausea medicines, but I have nothing to “cure” them from their illness. Thankfully, medicine isn’t all I can offer.
John is 22 yo and came in complaining of weakness for the past few months. He has had difficulty lifting things with his arms for the past few months, but now feels weakness in his legs. As I began talking to him, asking him questions and examining him, I grew more and more concerned for him. It was apparent to me that he wasn’t just having trouble with his arms and legs, but also was struggling to talk. He has something called ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which is a neurologic condition that results in weakness of most of the muscles of the body, including the respiratory muscles and most folks die when they can no longer breathe or succumb to an infection. John isn’t there yet, but based on his symptoms his condition is going to continue to deteroriate.
I shared with him and his father and tried to help them understand what was happening and what was going to happen to him in the weeks and months to come. As I shared, I was looking at the face of a young man who couldn’t fully comprehend what I was saying. Who can blame him when I am telling him things about weakness, being unable to walk or talk, unable to swallow and eventually breathe. I shared with him that there is nothing medically I can do for him, we have nothing to treat his condition and one day he is going to die. Thankfully, that isn’t the end of what I can offer, as there is hope for all in Christ. We talked about Jesus and although he has gone to church, he doesn’t know Jesus as His Savior yet. We talked more about this and then prayed that he would believe this Christmas season that the baby in the manger truly came to save him from His sins and to bring him eternal life when he believes.
1 Peter 1:18-21 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”
