You Gotta Have Faith
’80’s pop star George Michael sang about it (and showed it to others in a public restroom).
I’m yaking about “religious” faith and what role it plays in your life with multiple sclerosis, cancer, or any disease that has been the subject of a movie on the Lifetime Network.
It’s been said never to discuss are the two subjects of politics and religion. Well, since I’ve already spoken about politics (“State of Politics”), I might as well write about religion too!
First, let me say I’m not a religious person. I don’t attend church on a regular basis–never have.
I just never felt comfortable in an organized setting.
Seeing myself as a “spiritual” person, I get more out of quiet thought at an ocean…on top of a mountain…in a forest…a flower garden…or watching the clouds.
Praying most nights before sleep (and between leg spasms!), I ask for blessing of family & friends as well as those who are sick, suffering, hungry and cold.
I say thank you for a day of mobility & wellness but rarely ask for anything except “creativity” (as some of these My Odd Sock’s are rather lame!).
Other folks (and some with MS) are quite the opposite, attending church while enjoying the shared faith and fellowship of others.
Who is better off, I wonder.
Would my MS not have progressed had I attended church every Sunday. Or taken religion more seriously?
Am I (or we) being punished for something we did or didn’t do? (I’ve read that is a common thought among newly diagnosed MSers.)
Maybe you have had similar thoughts—I would love to hear about them!
Either way, mine, yours or theirs, I see faith as a crutch (or cane in my case). A means of support to stand stronger.
Faith gives us peace of mind in a crazy world.
Throw in a side order of disease, like MS, and faith gives us hope.
I suppose hope is all we are seeking in the end, anyway. How we find it is as different as our personalities—and our disease.
Here’s to George Michael for reminding us we gotta have faith.
11 Replies to “You Gotta Have Faith”
I have MS I can relate to what you have said and I posted the link to this on my blogger blog site for others to share…thanks
I was just pondering (meditating?) this very thought. I have not been “officially diagnosed”, but told I am “on track for having Multiple Sclerosis.” Something about 2 years. awesome
For the past 6 months, anytime someone hears that I might have MS, they decide it is the perfect opportunity to tell me that they also were tested for MS, had an MRI, prayed really hard and miraculously the brain scans came back and no MS.
“That’s great,” is about all I can muster. I know they think they are being empathetic, but all it really screams is: Pray harder! Where is your faith? OR I don’t have it, so you don’t have MS!
Except, I pray, I fast, I read holy scripture, I try to be a good person, I go to church every week. But I don’t think that means I should float through life without hardship. And I don’t think disease means you aren’t a good person.
I often remind myself that there are WAY BETTER people who have WAY WORSE problems. And then I say “that’s great” to all of those who would have me think all I need is more faith.
Faith to me is perspective. And hope for the next life.
(BTW, thanks for writing frequently. You’ve given me time to laugh, reflect, and understanding. Seriously, thanks!)
My experience was very different. I basically left religion behind in the process of growing up, and I see no reason why I should ever fall for it. Being diagnosed with MS in 2006 didn’t change my opinion. I can’t imagine religion ever offering an actual cure for MS, so I don’t gotta have “faith”. Sorry, George! 8)
Brian,
Just so you know, I don’t use faith as a cure. But as Annna states in her comment “Faith to me is perspective.”
As she says, there is always someone worse off–in a worse situation. The key is having perspective (faith) to always hold that idea.
That’s all—Anna just says it so much better than I do!
Thanks for reading.
My Odd Sock
The entertainer in me sidesteps scripture and celebrates the jester. There were times when I did the reverse–but that was back when the disease was new and I felt terrified. I wanted my mommy and daddy–but Yahweh would do in a pinch.
Now, I feel like I’m in a theater comedy and MS is the director. After 11 years on tour, the story is getting a little stale. More and more, I go off script and do some ad libbing. If I screw up, the audience will remind me that there is more than one way to die on stage.
So far, I’m killin’ ’em.
I really enjoyed your blog on faith! It made a lot of sense to me and truley is a lot of the way I feel when it comes down to what faith is, who has it, and what the power of faith can do for people especially us nuerologically degenerates that have to take our lives on a day to day basis in stride.
Faith did not give me MS, faith helps me see the brighter side of life, and regardless of how you approach the topic of faith it is a matter of prospective! Every one is different, and somethings work better for others. I am ok with that, but I think having heart and faith a willingness to get past all teh mundane drama of of a chronic illness is what makes life worth while!
its my nth visit here.. please it keep it coming.. good job
dude, been looking for this article for quite sometime. thanks for the post
Faith, to me, is my salvation. We are all going to spend eternity in one of two places. This life is miserable enough with MS. Can’t imagine MS in hell. “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith, it is a gift of God…not of yourselves that anyone should boast.” We all need Christ. There are no second chances.
Great website, glad you were listed in the Fall issue of Momentum.
I was diagnosed in 1985 with chronic progresive MS. Raised as a catholic, catholic elementory school for seven years with the “Nuns” until they told me and my parents, it was in our best interest and the schools for me to go to public school.
I agree you have to have faith, but I believe the faith has to be in yourself. If your positive you can do it, you will do it, not as fast as before but you can do it. A quote from Richard Pryor “MS is what God does to you when he doesn’t want you dead yet, he just wants you to slow down”.
I’m not sure I believe in the Heaven and Hell bullsh**, I figure this is Hell, everything after this, has to be easier.
Another great message! I do have faith. I just have to believe that it won’t always be like this. That I won’t always have ms and depression and the two tend to go hand in hand. A loved one of mine and I recently had a good laugh thinking about what heaven will be like someday. She has ms too. We decided that we were going to go out dancing every night in our skinny jeans and all the guys were going to look like patrick swayze in dirty dancing. We decided that they would be so amazed with our intelligence and just dance every night away with us. Okay so this is silly but it made us laugh and feel better about our ms so that’s okay. I recently told a friend about this and she asked me if I really believe heaven is going to be like that?
I said of course not. I just believe its a place where we won’t suffer anymore.