Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor's Page
Dear Friends in Christ,
Recently after a worship service I shared with the members of Zion some news about a serious health condition that I’m dealing with. I’d like to give a little further explanation of it. Not for sympathy, but as I said that day, because I cherish your prayers on my behalf. More important than that, I want you to know and hopefully be encouraged by the spiritual insight it has and continues to provide to me.
In early January I was diagnosed with “inflammatory arthritis.” That is an umbrella term for several conditions that are subcategories of it. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of them and it’s what my doctor at Mayo is treating it as. I’ve had general arthritis in my body for quite some time but it was tolerable. Rheumatoid arthritis is not. I noticed it beginning back in September and it gradually got worse and more painful. By December I was having trouble with moving and functioning normally. Thankfully, with the help of a couple doctors, I got in to be seen at the Rheumatology Department at Mayo. They now have me on a plan to keep this condition under control and from getting worse.
I can honestly tell you this has been more challenging than all the medical issues I’ve faced over my 67 years of life. Because of that it was kind of a wake-up call. And that’s where the spiritual lessons came in. It's truly amazing to me how God changed my attitude throughout the progression of this disease. At first, I thought (like most sinful humans) "Why me, God? What did I do that was so awful?" Then I remembered my many offensive sins against my loving Father and realized that if He was truly afflicting me for my sins, it would be much worse and much more painful. I wrestled with God over it. I wondered if God would end my ministry through it. And if that was true, why would He do that? Yes, like many people, I even tried bargaining with God but in the end all I could do was submit to His will for my life and pray for His strength to serve Him. I took great comfort in Paul's prayer about his “thorn” in the flesh that’s recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:7–9. This is what he says there, “So to keep me from becoming conceited… a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
As I struggled through the pain, I just kept repeating (especially in the middle of the night) "Your grace is sufficient. Teach me, Father." I wasn’t necessarily looking for the answer to why anymore. Guided by His Word I began asking what God could teach me through it. I can’t say there was one, decisive answer to that. Rather, it was a bunch of little things. I guess you’d call them spiritual insights. Nothing mysterious. Just things for me to ponder personally. Things that changed my attitude. If nothing else, it made me appreciate more the people around me who showed loving care for me. Especially my wife. She has stood beside through all my previous surgeries, illnesses etc. But now more than ever she has been my strength and support through the most difficult times of these past several months. And I can’t thank God enough for her. The same is true of the others around me who showed care and concern and offered up prayers on my behalf. As I stated at the beginning, I cherish those prayers and they too are my strength.
This journey is far from over and I don’t know what the Lord has planned for me down the road. Like all of us, all I can do is take one day at a time and see where God leads me. I’m still learning. Let me assure you that through it all my faith has not wavered. That’s not due to me being such a strong Christian. On the contrary, it’s only by God’s sufficient grace that I had the strength to carry on. As long as He gives that to me, I’ll serve Him the best I can until the day I die. That’s all any of us can do.
In closing, even as I ask for your prayers, I want you to know that Gayleen and I pray for you also. When we know there is a problem or illness in your life, we will personally pray for you. Please feel free to share that with me. If you don’t want it to be public, we will respect that and pray for you privately. And together we will learn better and better what God’s will and plan is for each us.
In Christ, Pastor Don Meyer
