Journal of Sacred Work

"The world is made up of stories, not facts." – Rachel Remen, M.D.

   Fact: A man named Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. Fact: He walked around teaching people about love. Fact: He was crucified by Romans for claiming to be the Messiah.

   Do these facts tell us anything meaningful? Not much. Other people were born at the same time as Jesus. Others before and since have claimed to be messiahs and some of them were also crucified.

   Two billion Christians have been drawn to their faith not by facts, but by the enormous power of what some call "The Christian Narrative." It is the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection as the son of God that matters. It is his story of Love, told in teaching and through parables, that endures. And, for Christians, it is our faith in Jesus' story that transforms us from skeptics to believers.  

   Imagine this scenario for yourself. Fact: You are a caregiver. Fact: You have Crohn's disease, an auto-immune illness which causes inflammation in your intestinal tract. It will torture either your small or large intestine or both. You will suffer.

   What do these "facts" tell your caregivers? They may help your doctors "fix" some symptoms of your illness. But, healing – especially with a chronic illness, doesn't come through facts and fixing.

   Nurses, medical students, law students, and other professionals find that facts are heavily emphasized in their training. But, as a law student and subsequently as a trial attorney, I found that the story was far more powerful to juries than the apparent significance of facts.

   Since, in our scenario you are a caregiver, your Crohn's disease will lenable you to empathize with others who suffer from chronic illness. It is how the story of your life unforlds, with Crohn's (or anything else) that determines everything that counts.

   Because, chronic illnesses are by definition, incurable. The question becomes not how your illness will be "fixed," but how you will live a fulfilling life with your disease.

   Step one on the journey for a successful life is for patients to avoid being defined by their illness. In other words, the key role for caregivers is to help the sick remember that their life story is far more important than any "fact" of an illness.

   Dr. Rachel Remen should know. As I mentioned in yesterday's essay, Dr. Remen, was diagnosed with Crohn's even before she attended medical school. I received the same diagnosis at age nineteen before I had finished college or begun law school. Like Dr. Remen, I was told I was at high risk for cancer and might not live to age forty.

   After my diagnosis, my doctor told me a story. "Here's your situation," he advised me. "Your illness is very vulnerable to stress. Therefore, you should chose as low stress a job as possible."

   "I was planning to go to law school," I answered.

   "Out of the question," my doctor said. "A high stress profession like that could kill you even sooner than forty."

   My doctor tried to write my life story for me. But, sitting at home nursing my illness was not what I had in mind.

   Fortunately, of course, I ignored my doctor. I decided to live as many of my dreams as I could. Forty-seven years later, I'm still doing that.

   "No story is ever finished," Dr. Remen says. Our death does not stop our story. Imagine if Jesus had listened to his critics instead of to God? 

   Of course, we are not Jesus. But, each of us has the opportunity to live God's Love instead of hiding in fear.

   You may not have Crohn's disease. But, most of us have something that plagues us chronically – either physically or spiritually or both.

   I was afraid when I first learned of my illness. Gradually, I have let Love replace that fear.

   Fixing a broken leg is important. People of Jesus' time with leprosy, blindness, paralysis, or any other physical problem understandably wanted Jesus' to "fix" them. Because Jesus' Love was so great, he accommodated as many of these people as he could.   

   But, Jesus knew that his principle mission on earth was much greater. He knew that the problem with human beings was not, and is not, leprosy or blindness. It is fear.

   Jesus didn't come to "fix" us. He came with a new teaching. "Love one another," he told his followers. And then he shocked his audience with an even more daunting commandment, "Love your enemies."

   It is this particular kind of Radical Loving Care that patients need from their caregivers. They need us to Love them with both skill and kindness. To do this, we need to start by loving ourselves.   

  The facts on the patient's chart are only a small part of the patient's story. Our life story is who we are. Ultimate healing will come through the Love within each of us, not from the facts outside.  .

-Rev. Erie Chapman