living with fibromyalgia

My wife has been battling fibromyalgia for about a year now. This is an aggravating disease. It causes a lot of muscular pain and fatigue, and also causes emotional distress, if for no other reason than from the pain and fatigue. It's not curable, and there are not any known medical aids that do not cause worse problems from side effects. Some people have found relief from various natural sources, such as dietary supplements, acupuncture, massage and soaking in a hot tub. None of these work for everyone, and not everyone can find something that works. It affects me, too, in the sense that I worry about my wife a lot, plus the fact that I need to do more of the physical work around the house, and I miss out on some of the activities we used to do.

Why does God allow these things? Well, first, I'm very thankful he has protected my wife and me from many other more serious and debilitating diseases and injuries. In the great scheme of things, if this is all we have to deal with, we should probably consider ourselves very blessed. But, the bottom line is we live in a fallen world, in which humankind has chosen the ways of Satan, and lots of bad things happen in a sinful world. Someday, God will step in and stop sin:

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." -I Thessalonians 4:16-18

But, we have to wait until God does this in His own time:

"First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."... But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness." -II Peter 3:3-4, 8-9

We might think we know the right time for Him to step in and stop the effects of a sinful world, but we must have faith that He knows the right time much better than we do. Meanwhile, He has promised that He will help us through these earthly trials.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." -Matthew 10:29-31

Almost everyone, no matter how physically or emotionally sick, still has something they can contribute to the world and to God's work. I need to encourage my wife to stay optimistic, and for her to find ways to help others with her remaining skills and strength. I continue to pray to God to help her with this sickness, and for patience and understanding.

Muslim friends

Last night I attended a dinner hosted by a group of Muslim people who have come to the U.S. from Turkey. This group is dedicated to the idea of a peaceful world and believe that Christians and Muslims can coexist in a peaceful way. I too believe that this is possible, and I am inspired by the work and dedication of this group.

Nevertheless, these people are not Christians and do not have salvation from God, despite the fact that they are friendly, loving and peaceful people. Jesus said:


"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6.

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." -John 3:18

My non-Christian friends and some of my Christian friends will say that kind of attitude is arrogant, intolerant and self-righteous. But, here's the way I look it: I've been invited to a really great party (Heaven), and I can invite anyone I want to come. I want all of the people I love, my family and friends, to be there. I want to see there my friends from Turkey Mustafa and Ferhan, my friend from Iran Nezam, my friend from Vietnam Lan, my science-minded friend Johnathan, and my outspoken atheist friends Barry and Eric. From what the Bible says, in particular from what Jesus says, the only way you can get into the party is to get a ticket from Jesus. So, I invite, encourage and pray for all of my family and friends to go get their ticket from Jesus. I don't care who's right or wrong, I don't care who's smart or dumb, I just don't want them to miss out on the big party. And this includes my new Muslim friends from Turkey who hosted the wonderful dinner last night. I will continue to support their dream of peaceful coexistence, while I continue to pray that they will see the truth about Jesus.