Ulcerative Colitis & Religion

This is a wonderful issue. As a doctoral Bible student and occasional speaker with respect to the Bible the question I hear most is "If God is so good why doesn't He protect people from terrible circumstances?"

Of course I wouldn't be doing what I do if I didn't think God was good and didn't love mankind. Having said that, the question is not an unfair one and, as an Ulcerative Colitis sufferer I have asked God many times that very question. I mean, it is true I could certainly work with more vigor for Him if I didn't have to stop and deal with this annoying illness, right?

God says "As My ways are higher than man's ways; My thoughts are higher than man's thoughts". Looking around the state of the world, I'm glad they are.

The question at hand, however, is how does my faith help me with my illness, Ulcerative Colitis? My friend, God has had to take this poor "pseudo-intellectual" to school, and I'm one of those people who will only learn through the "School of Hard Knocks"!

First, my God never promised me smooth sailing. He promised me He would give me enough strength to endure what He allows into my life; my job is to rely on Him and to be obedient. I find when I do that I do very well. I find when I have a problem with Ulcerative Colitis symptoms and say a prayer that I focus on Him, not the symptoms, and somehow a "peace" occurs. It certainly is through no strength of my own.

You know though God, when He wants to, will answer fervent prayers. I, for the longest time, asked Him why He gave me this illness. I asked Him if He even loved me. I had so many "pity parties" that I couldn't begin to count them. For a long time God was silent.

Something strange happened. I'm nearly 60 so I pretty much figured my life was, well you know, in at least its seventh inning. All of a sudden I had a chance to get a bachelor's degree in Bible Studies. Then, guess what? I found Associated Content and began to write. This has helped me earn money to continue my studies.

Do you want to know the real reason that God allowed me to have Ulcerative Colitis? It is because of the work I now do and will do. It is much easier to comfort a hurting person since I have experienced pain. It is much easier to help a person with loss since I have felt loss. Most importantly, as I work with people I see how truly blessed I am because so many people have been given much tougher roads to walk than me.

God is a loving God. He didn't make the world this way. It was sabotaged. He allows us real experience not to suffer unto ourselves but to rely on Him first and secondly to help and share with one another. That is how my faith helps me cope with Ulcerative Colitis.