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Ever since Ronald Reagan and then a member of my church fought with Alzheimers, I started trying to wrestle with the effect of a brain altering disease on a person– his identity, his ability to function and how all of that relates to his salvation and his state with God. Seriously, if what we think makes us who we are, if I’m effected by a disease that changes what I think, am I who I was? How does the fact that a person can no longer remember their friends, family, etc. effect that person? Many say that the person is totally different, like a child.
Last night, I may have found part of the key to my question about how that person relates to God. It was hiding in Daniel 4. In this chapter, we have an account from King Nebuchadnezzar about what God showed him in a dream and then what happened to him. He was given the mind of a beast for 7 years in what I believe was his opportunity to believe on the one true God– and I believe that Christians will see him in Heaven someday.
The interesting part of this study for me was that God gave Nebuchadnezzar a brain debilitating disease that totally changed his identity– and yet at the other side he was able to make conclusions about God and his power– he wasn’t totally absent from his surroundings.
Should you or someone you know go through this, it’s important to remember that God is in control, and that person will be restored– if not here, than in Heaven.
I’d be open to hear what you think on this one (as I’m always).
I wish you had gone farther with this… But it is something I too have thought on.
A friend in my former church is struggling with extreme depression… she and her family are handling it with secular psychology. I cant agree with that, but I dont really know the whole answer either…
I wonder alot about psychological “diesease or disorders”. How are they explained spiritually? I definately do not think that just because our minds have some physical symptom of the problem that the physical symptom is the cause. I believe the cause is spiritual… but i just cant put my finger on it.
Thanks for the post.
Mrs. Meg Logan
I’m not sure about a lot of what we call “psychological diseases.” A lot of the problems people see counselors for is really sin problems. The other thing I often wonder about is whether or not some of the multiple personality disorders, etc. are actually demon possessions– I don’t know why these things would have stopped.
We are now in a culture and a time where we want to disregard the supernatural and come up with a physical reason for everything.
Thanks for bringing this topic back up.
God must love homosexulality because he always has the BEST weather for the duration of Pride Week festivites! Besides, if homosexuality weren’t natural then how can anyone explain why some animals indulge in gay sex? No can explain that one. Anyways, Happy Pride Month!