05 February 2012

nature/nurture and healing

In my Human Growth and Development class, for each development stage, we look at the relationship of nature and nurture. Today, it got me thinking about how many seemingly tiny factors play apart in making each of us who we are - biophysical, psychosocial, and cognitive.

For some reason, thinking about all the tiny puzzle pieces that interact to influence our person made me wonder why God answers prayers in different ways for each person. Is it like the nature/nurture interaction, where if we just get the right combination of pieces together that we get the answer that we're hoping for? Or is it more than that?

I have had a lot of medical struggles. But is that because I haven't hit the right combo to be healed completely? Do I need to pray more diligently for healing? Is it a faith problem? I have no clue. I have struggled a lot with these types of questions especially when I'm sitting in another doctor's office.

I know many Christians that believe in the power of healing, that God can heal in miraculous ways. He can remove the cancer from a man's body or repair the organ that is failing on a child or take away a bad headache. I absolutely believe that God can heal any person of any disease. But what about those times when God doesn't heal the disease?

When I have spent more time than I would ever wish on another person in hospitals, doctor's offices, and medical machines, it's hard not to be envious of the people who have experienced God's amazing healing power. Why have I had to go through it? Why didn't I get to have the miraculous story of how God healed me?

Then I remember that I wouldn't be me if I hadn't gone through those really hard times. My medical struggles are just one tiny factor that makes me, me. Maybe God really does have a plan for me that uses my struggles for good. Maybe my experiences can be used for His Kingdom purposes.

Abba, I know I often question "Why me?" "Why can't you take this away?"Abba, I want to change that. Instead of asking "why," I want to be asking, "what are you teaching me through this?" I'm changing my perspective. Use all of me, even my medical struggles, for your purposes. I trust that you have something great planned for my life.