In the first seventeen days of 2021, in addition to coping with the hardships placed upon us by a continuing pandemic, we have watched deep divisions in our government devolve into what appears to be insurmountable chasms. Fear and anxiety are palpable. At a personal level, I am committed to avoiding the mistakes of the past. In the Spring of 2019, when it was determined that Linda was developing mild heart failure, I allowed myself to go into an emotional tailspin.
Excerpts from my journal depict my pain and feeble attempts to regain composure:
- Last night, I awakened in the middle of a very frightening dream relating to Linda’s struggle with dementia. This morning, I was very tempted to just go back to bed and, in essence, escape.
- I have never felt so alone. After several bouts of despair, I am struggling to release everything to God.
- I am allowing my peace and sense of well-being to be dictated by my circumstances instead of the truthfulness of God’s Word.
When Linda recently tested positive for Covid 19, those fears again knocked on my door; however, God instructed me, for the remainder of my life, to follow his instructions and not my feelings, which result from the ever-changing challenges of life. Therefore, my small part in this much larger drama requires me to:
Avoid the Elijah Syndrome
Tired, emotionally drained, and devoid of hope, Elijah, as we are prone to do, presented his case to God:
“I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too” (1 Kings 19:14 NLT)!
He never expected God’s reply:
“…Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him“ (1 Kings 19:18 NLT).
My role as a caregiver to Linda cannot be separated from my larger purpose in life. God does not allow me, or anyone else, the luxury of isolating myself from others in his Kingdom and attempting to go it alone. The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to receive strength from those who have gone before us and; thus, successfully run with endurance our assigned race:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people, then you won’t become weary and give up (Hebrews 12:1-3. NLT).
Believe that the Church is Alive and Well
Some of the conflicting messages floating on social media depict the church as irrelevant and lacking in power. The narrative in The Church Triumphant, written decades ago, demonstrates that possibility is not a new phenomenon:
“There have been times of affluence and prosperity when the church’s message has been nearly deluded into oblivion by those who sought to make it socially attractive, neatly organized, financially profitable, but God has always had a people.”
Acknowledging the possibility does not negate a wonderful truth that is powerfully set forth in the lyrics:
Let the Church be the Church
Let the people rejoice
For we’ve settled the question
We’ve made our choice
Let the anthems ring out, songs of victory swell
For the church triumphant, is alive and well
You know, this ship’s been through battles before
The storms and the tempests and all the rocks on the shore
Though the hull may be battered
Inside it’s safe and dry
It’s gonna carry its cargo to the port in the sky
Some readers of this particular blog, as well as previous editions, may question my strong emphasis upon the work of Christ in the whole of society. That is a very legitimate question; and I will attempt to answer it in this way: The pain and suffering found among dementia patients and their families serve as a microcosm of the pain and suffering in the whole of society. After many years of trying to bless my precious Linda, while searching for ways to minister to fellow travelers on the same journey; I unequivocally maintain that apart from Christ there are no permanent solutions to be found! Furthermore, the most powerful force on earth is the energy of Christ’s life being released through his body, the Church!
Ron Harvard Ministries 