Sunday, March 18, 2018

Take Up Your Cross

“Jesus said, “If you to follow me, deny yourself, carry your cross and follow me." ~ Matt 16:24
The dawn came with musical silence; Raelyn’s soul heard the melody that her ears could not.  A new day had come, new possibilities, a fresh page yet to be written.
To her friends, she appeared strong.  But deep down, she felt the kind of sadness that leached into your bones rather than exploded in a cascade of tears.
Her friend invited the family to visit their cottage in Michigan, but they couldn’t go.
Heather, their 23-year-old daughter had been suffering from anorexia for more than a decade.  Her weight was that of a small child.  They’d nearly run out of options until a chance Facebook posting last fall brought Heather the first breath of hope in years.
Treating anorexia, which is characterized by self-starvation and an inability to maintain adequate body weight, seems absurdly simple on the surface: just eat and gain weight.  It’s something Heather and the millions of others afflicted by eating disorders have heard many times.  But it’s never that simple.
Raelyn had long since lost track of the number of times Heather had been admitted to a treatment program with electrolyte imbalances caused by starvation or self-induced vomiting, or thoughts of suicide.  She’d gain weight during the program, then return to her old ways when discharged.
So for more than 20 years, she remained miserably, incurably, trapped.
Up to one in five people with chronic anorexia will die as a result of their illness, either from the effects of starvation or to suicide.  It’s the deadliest of all psychiatric disorders.
Scientists have made tremendous progress in treating teenage anorexia before the disorder becomes chronic.  But this hasn’t translated into effective treatments for adults.
In Ohio, an experimental five-day intensive program requires patients and up to four support people to join them for treatment.  So Raelyn’s family vacation will be spent in Ohio this summer with Heather and their last hope before hospice for successful treatment.  She felt the weight of the sadness in her heart; making no effort to chase it away.
“It's okay to be sad . . . especially about sad things," thought Raelyn.  There's a single word for a burden we bear for the good of others: CROSS.
She thought about Jesus and "Take up your cross and follow me."  There's a difference between taking up a cross begrudgingly and accepting it as a heavy gift for someone else.  Jesus wasn't happy about His situation; He pleaded three times to have that cup taken from Him.  Yet He didn't resent having to die for the sake of the world.  He was sad, but did what He had to.
Jesus or the comforts of this life?  It’s a tough call, but the reward is incomparable.
“Here I am Lord.  It is I Lord.  I have heard You calling in the night.  I will go Lord, if You lead me.  I will hold Your people in my heart.”  Amen