Wellness in Spite of Illness

Word Count 706

Wellness in Spite of Illness

They stared in disbelief after hearing her words. Did she really say her mother was well? The daughter’s response was so unexpected. Did she really say her mother was good and improving everyday? How could this be? The mother had been given a direr diagnosis, stage four cancer, a glioblastoma brain tumor. How could she be well? Yet the daughter said as much. The daughter proclaimed her mother’s wellness in spite of her illness.

The practice which allowed the daughter to respond with a conviction of wellness is an unpopular and little used approach. It is unpopular because it is misunderstood. It is little used because it challenges our illusion of control we think we have over life. The approach is the practice of surrender. If you or a loved one is battling for life, this approach may feel unappealing. It might sound like giving up. But on the contrary, it really refers to a strategy of allowing. It is allowing life to be as it is in the present moment. The daughter chose this approach as a way of coping with her mother’s illness and as a result, God’s presence and peace entered their lives more fully. They gave up attachment to a preferred outcome, rested in the present moment and, in doing so, felt God’s presence enough that they could proclaim wellness in spite illness.

Unfortunately the practice of surrender, the strategy of allowing, could be called the road less traveled. Some are not willing to accept what life brings. Many can’t suspend judgment. Others desperately cling to categories of good and bad which help frame the circumstances of life. The strategy of allowing, the practice of surrender, simply put, is accepting the present moment as is. It is saying yes to life, no matter what. Some may protest, “But I can’t say yes, something really bad has happened.” None the less, the strategy of allowing, the practice of surrender is accepting the now. It is accepting the facts of what is happening in the present. Some may wonder, when considering this approach, what about action? The strategy of allowing doesn’t prevent action. Action happens in the present moment. The family, whose mother was ill, took swift deliberate action to diminish the cancer. They did everything they could and then presently waited for their action to take or not take fruition. Action happens in the present moment and therefore is compatible with the strategy of allowing, the practice of surrender.

The key to the strategy of allowing, the practice of surrender, is giving up judgment about the facts you are accepting. This is difficult. Culturally, we have not been trained to do this. However the results gleaned from this approach are worth the leap of faith. When one surrenders, when one allows, a space is opened to feel God’s presence, comfort, and confidence more fully. An unexplainable peace has room to enter and be present through any circumstance.

The Bible when telling Jesus’ story never uses the words, practice of surrender or strategy of allowing. These concepts are articulated more in eastern traditions. However Jesus lives and dies these strategies. The strategy of allowing, the practice of surrender, gives Jesus the presence and courage to face betrayal, torture, physical pain, and loss. Jesus is not caught lashing out, bemoaning his predicament, blaming, feeling sorry for himself or trying to escape. He lives in the moment, accepting the facts and reacting to the present. Jesus is what he is today because he surrendered, allowing God to be fully present in his life. Jesus was able to live a broken human life the way he did because he was filled with God’s peace which comes through surrendering and allowing.

Like Jesus, we all struggle with and suffer from human brokenness. The good news is that God’s presence and peace, mends human brokenness. God’s presence and peace makes a person well no matter what the outward condition. In spite of human brokenness, an act of surrender, a strategy of allowing gives one faith and confidence to say, “Yes, I am well, no matter what.” Following Jesus’ example of surrender and allowing helps us know God more fully and experience peace beyond understanding.