Showing Strength Through Weakness

I also want to call this post "Quoting Scripture To Sick People". "All things work together for the good for those who love the Lord." "The Lord never gives you more you can handle." "Jesus doesn't allow you to go through anything he wouldn't go through himself." If you are sick and/or suffer from chronic dibilitating pain and you know some religious people you have probably had your share of exhortations and quotations. One question: Where in the Bible does it say to "go and quote scriptures to the sick"? People in general feel they can take advantage of those they perceive to be weak. Why don't they quote "In weakness I am strong" or "Bare one another's burdens". Why don't they quote the beatitudes to themselves?" Blessed are the poor in spirit" or "If you have done this to one of my brethren you have done it to me?" Done? If you have "Done" something unto one of these the least of my brethren? Done? Oh did not Jesus mean to say "Said". Surely He must have said "Said" because that is what many Christians do when they encounter sick people. They say stuff. And what is more safe to the "sayer" than biblical stuff. Job's Comforters had many things to say. So did the people who taunted Christ as he hung from the cross.
The main problem I have with quoting scriptures to the sick is that it is often "saying" at the person rather than trying to "pray" the scripure with the person who is being ministered to. Another issue that comes up is "who is ministering to who?" And who is really sick? The person who is sick has often been humbled by life experiences and someone who got saved last year is going to come in and explain God to that person?
Let's face it. Weakness reminds us that we will not be blogging forever. Christians should see Christ in whoever they are with. Being "with" someone else. What a concept. But we stand over, pray over, talk over, and on to the next ministry "doll".
I have a cane that I walk with. You don't need to slow down your speech because I have a cane. I understand you just fine.

About the Photo

You might say "this guy has a great attitude with all his headaches" because this photo does have a "nice day", "smiley face" aspect to it. From my point of view it would have been cool if I had forgotten about this picture of myself smiling with a blue sky above me and flower petals below me. The problem is I have no memory of this event. None. At the time this was taken I was in a tremendous amount of pain and unbeknownst to myself I was being poisoned by the medicine I was taking for my chronic pain. I mention this because I have seen some pain "support" blogs out there that promote what a great attitude the blogger has and everyone else should follow suit. Some of these "helpers" have inadvertently participated in a subtle form of patient abuse. A fellow pain sufferer confides that they don't know how long they can stand this pain and that they have contemplated the "s" word. The self appointed chronic pain guru responds that she shouldn't say such things that life is such a precious gift. And then comes the sinker ball that ends up high and tight, "You should be thankful you can walk... Look at all those people that are bed ridden... Do you hear them complaining?" We can send mixed messages... "If you feel like the 'S" word call the "s" word hotline" and then out of the same mouth we say "don't say such things". So the pain patient is confused - "I'm not supposed to keep this to myself and I'm not supposed to maintain a secret but I'm not supposed to talk about my desperation from being in pain 24 hours a day, 365 or 366 (no leap year discrimination on this blog) days a year. Then what happens is you feel incredibly isolated because most people are addicted to this word: OK.

"Is everything OK?" And the obligitory answer that must include puppy like nodding of the head is "Sure Is", "Yes". If you say no people will freak on you. Try it sometime just for giggles. Then starts the campaign to show you that everything is "OK". You will feel like a felon by the time they are done with you.

So for this blog: Some Sunshine and Some Rain and not a fantasy world where you have to be where people want you to be.

Stay True To Yourself and don't Let People Tell You How To Feel

Chronic Pain and My Drug, Music

If you have intense chronic pain you have probably already discovered the Miracle Drug (U2), music. without music I would have completely lost it. There are different kinds of course... birds, cats, dogs, running water, the first impact of fresh snow on the side walk, The Beatles. I have been injecting music for a long, long time. After listening to some Stones or Beatles I feel like I can walk through a wall. It does not take it away and there are times when silence is the preferred sound. But silence is a part of music. It is called the "Rest". The most important note in "Born To Run" is the space where there is no sound. If you saw bruce perform it in concert you don't me to tell you about it. You were there. You experienced it.

Introduction: Why Tobit's Dog For A pain Blog?

After reading a blog post of a friend who is dealing with suffering I was inspired to write about living with pain. Living is a key word for me. Sometimes when you are in pain all the time you start to feel that you live in a different world... Isolation sets in like a cold front the weather people underestimated... At first you feel unprepared... Then after a while... The learning sets in...

This blog will be about my reflections on living through painful and difficult circumstances... I hope this will help me, others who suffer and those who live with or know of someone who lives with chronic suffering. In the past I have felt uncomfortable expressing myself on facebook and when I did write about suffering it bottled up inside me until I wrote an angry post railing at the medical establishment. I will still write about the difficulties with doctors and others... but with the purpose of shining light on a situation. At sometimes this may be unpleasant... but sometimes the truth is hard to swallow... I will try to add enough honey and special flavorings to make it pallitable.

Why is Tobit's Dog a theme for me? Actually Tobit's Dog is Tobias's Dog but no one ever calls him that. I liked Tobit's Dog for the name of a band I would like to start with other like minded musician/artists. In the catholic bible he follows Tobias where ever he goes. We don't like to follow or be dependent in our culture. When you have chronic pain you learn this fact: Control tends to be an illusion. There is a place for self control... But sometimes you cannot control how you act when you have an extreme medical condition. This is difficult for people who have an improper and almost gnostic attitude towards "mind over matter". If you have ever passed out from pain you know exactly what I am talking about.

I have to stop for the moment but I hope to continue my introduction to this blog later today. I thank the blogspot and the other bloggers for making this possible.