sufficient grace

My brother and I were discussing one of his speeches recently, and this morning, I realized I had made a terrible argument. I was arguing that if a Christian had an anxiety disorder, God would not leave him that way, but would give him victory over his disease. I can't believe that I would think that way considering my own situation, but there I was saying the same things that a professor had disparagingly said to me.

What I realized this morning very clearly is that it is wrong to assume that someone who hasn't "overcome" a physical illness is unspiritual. I realize now that I have been beating myself over the head comparing myself to one "overcoming" story after another. Without meaning to be sarcastic, just honest, we Christians are fond of our "overcoming" stories. I think that this is what has caused this thought process for me. I have had quite a few people tell me "look at this person" or "look at that person." Most people have good intentions. They want to encourage. But I'm afraid there might be an intrinsic problem with examples of looking at other "overcomers." The intimation being, that because you haven't "overcome" your illness, you are a weak and unspiritual Christian.

In the Bible, Job's friends made a similar assumption about Job because of his illness and loss. Ultimately, they believed because of his situation he was spiritually deficient. The Lord was angry with their assessment because it hurt His reputation (Job 42:7-8). I can't help but think that by pointing to someone else's story, you defame God's own working in someone's life. In other words, you can't expect God to work the same "overcoming" story for someone else. And that's not a bad thing.

I do believe God gives victory, but not necessarily over illness. Instead, He gives it inspite of.

The Apostle Paul also had some sort of infirmity. He asked the Lord to remove it three times. But instead, God gave the startling answer, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

My conclusion is twofold:

We cannot despise our "overcoming" stories. I do not mean that by any stretch. It is a testament to the power of God, and we can spread His fame by sharing those stories to believers and unbelievers.

But we need to avoid assumptions that those stories can engender, assumptions about someone's spiritual well-being because of his physical weakness. Rather, physical infirmity, and the practice of comforting someone who is experiencing it, is an opportunity for believers to glorify God in His sufficient grace, and to see His perfected power--literally, the indwelling power of Christ!