For those who do not know, I have a condition called “Refractory Celiac Disease”. In short, it is a form of Celiac Disease that does not respond to a gluten-free diet. As an auto-immune disease, it is inflamed by stress. If anyone is not aware, I was recently (within the past few months) blackballed from my long-time church—a stressful situation to say the least. I will leave the gory details of a “flare-up” out of it—you can simply look it up on webmd.com—but all you need to know is that I have not always had the best of days. That being said, things have started looking up recently.
My first article was published by The Raven Foundation on January 8, 2015, and it is about that time when I started pursuing my writing. Since then, I have been introduced to countless Jesus-followers and, not coincidentally, have begun to witness healing within myself I never thought possible. Just one month ago, this came to a crescendo at the Making Peace Conference, where I was surrounded by some of the most Jesus-centered people I had ever met. It was obvious to me at that point that positive mimesis—highlighted scripturally by the command Jesus gave to “follow me”—had the power to literally change the world. Because of my introduction to so many people who have decided to take this command seriously, my world certainly has changed.
Okay, but how does this relate to medical healing?
Great question!
I recently watched a Ted Talk featuring Dr. Lissa Rankin, M.D., and she suggests that there is scientific proof that we can have a hand in healing ourselves—and I’m not talking about the sniffles, sneezes, and aches and pains. Dr. Rankin also mentions the Spontaneous Remission Project, where case studies have been done, documenting the spontaneous remission of even stage IV cancers and AIDS. If Dr. Rankin is correct, then it certainly begs the question: Can we also heal others? Well, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Ted Kaptchuk, believes the most essential ingredient in healing is nurturing by a “health-care provider”. For both Dr. Rankin and Dr. Kaptchuk, practicing medicine is not about treating patients as a disease to process, but treating them with love, compassion, and positivity. Their results are pretty compelling.
Could it be that when Jesus tells us to “follow” Him, He meant follow Him in action, including healing? (Matt. 16:24) Is that what He meant when He said, “the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these”? (John 14:12) It certainly is possible…
But, could simply surrounding myself with Christ-followers—imitators of Jesus—be an answer? I mean, the stress I allowed to trigger my disease was due to an immersion into a culture whose members are all-too-often only interested in getting to the top—no matter how many they trample to get there…a culture that defines itself by how big, how much, how IMPRESSIVE! Everyone is self-oriented—never realizing the self is defined by the other. This is the kingdom of men, and it has made its way into the heart and soul of American Christianity. For too long, it made its way into my own heart as well. My inability to forgive, my anger toward others, my scapegoating, was simply an imitation of those I complained about. It was a virus that kept me under its spell for too long.
I can tell you that in spite of all the negativity I was a part of, including negativity within myself, the power of a loving community, in positive imitation of Jesus, can undo what harm us humans can do. My healing started when I began practicing preemptive forgiveness. However, that didn’t happen until I experienced the Christ-like love, compassion, and understanding of my new friends. I believe this type of community, taking root within the self, is “like the Kingdom of God”. When Jesus-followers begin practicing the same type of forgiveness, mercy, and grace they themselves pray for every night, then we can start to see it on Earth as it is in heaven. (Matt. 6:10)
Because of the self-giving love I have recently experienced, I have not had a flare-up in over a month. Do I have the same disease I once had? Sure. However, I do not tackle this disease alone. In imitating Christ, my friends, spouse, and parents have showered me with positivity and symptoms have subsided. Is this coincidence? Perhaps. However, I cannot help but think Jesus meant it when He said we will “do greater works than these”, which includes healing. If our modern culture is a kingdom run by men—and it certainly is—then by living amongst those who bring about the kingdom of heaven to earth will be healing of itself.
Our culture is sick and only the kingdom of God—preemptive forgiveness, non-violence, non-retribution, inclusive love—can heal such a culture. This showering of love certainly healed one of its members.
So, thank you to all those who have supported me, loved me, and continue to stand with me in the name of peace. I think we have seen enough negative mimesis—it is high time we start modeling some radical, yet positive, behavior. We have the perfect model in Jesus and I am hopeful more will join those who have blessed me in seeing Him for who He truly is.
Selah.
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