In people’s eyes, I seemed to be useless due to my severe disability, and my life was meaningless and worthless. But the Lord, who is merciful and compassionate, let me know the meaning and value of life.
Shi Tiesheng, a late famous writer, said that his profession was being ill. He was paralyzed at 20 and later suffered from uremia, living in a wheelchair all his life.
A reporter once asked him, “What is your attitude toward your illness?” He said, “I respect it... definitely, I don’t like it much, but what can you do with it? You may choose to dislike it or hate it, but this won’t bring you anything except pain and complaint. What you can do is respect it, and regard it as a powerful opponent, as well as a trial and reward for you. You may seem reluctant, but this is the way that you can finally learn something from it."
I am also a severely disabled person who has been ill for decades. I can’t stand up or walk, only accompanied by a sickbed. In the long-suffering of illness, only by the help and the strength given by the Father could I understand something. However, those who don’t know Him won’t understand what I have understood.
More than 20 years ago I wrote an article, the content of which was that I realized the new meaning of life in my illness. The article concluded that if it were not for illness, my life would not be corrected and my mind would not be purified. Praise the Lord! This must be the work that the Holy Spirit illuminates and guides me.
I mailed this article to a distant friend, asking him to help me revise it. He said that the first part of my writing was good, but not the second part, saying, “Do you mean to thank the illness by writing like this?”
Actually, I didn’t mean to welcome the illness. However, it was through the illness that I began to understand some truths, what true beauty or ugliness is, and what true goodness or evil is in life, especially by reading the Bible over and over again under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit. It was through the illness that I could really observe the goodness and evil of the human heart, and the warmth and fickleness of human friendships. What’s more, it was also through the illness that I could reflect on my own mistakes in life.
I have said more than once that I make up my mind to fight the illness to the end. The illness is the enemy of the patient who shall not only hate this enemy but also pay attention to it, just like fighting a war. In the illness, one shall always be aware of its fierce attack and be prepared to fight. When you win the battle, this victory does not mean the elimination of the illness or the recovery of the body, but also the health of the soul. That indicates a sick patient, as long as they overcome the mental illness, will be the winner.
Having rheumatoid arthritis at 17, I have spent the last 43 years in pain. Although the illness damaged my body, I felt lucky that I could read the Bible during my days of illness. Enlightened and helped by the Holy Spirit, I have known what righteousness is and what sin is, as well as my own sin. I reflected on it, regretted it, and received new life from Jesus, the Savior of the world, the one true God.
In Isaiah 30:20-21, although God the Father gave me bread of adversity and water of affliction, he really showed Himself to me and guided me to walk in His right path.
My body was damaged by illness, though, the Lord saves my soul and shows the meaning and value of life to me.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times and the writer is a severely disabled Christian from Tanghe County, Nanyang City, Henan Province).
- Translated by Stephen Huang
我这个重残人，在人看来是毫无作用的，人生没有意义，生命也没有价值。但慈爱怜悯的主，却给了我人生的意义，生命的价值。
已故著名作家史铁生说，自己的职业是生病。他在二十岁的时候就生病瘫倒了，后来又患了尿毒症，终生以轮椅为伴。
有记者问他，你对你的病是什么态度？他说，是敬重……我这绝对不是多喜欢它，但你说什么呢？讨厌它，恨它吗？一点也没用，除了自讨没趣，就是自寻烦恼……但要敬重它，把它当成一个强大的对手，当成命运对你的锤炼和奖赏。虽然有点无可奈何，但你却能从中受益……
我也是几十年在病中度日，不能站起来行走，只有与病榻为伴的重残人。在漫长病苦患难中的人，若说我明白了些什么，一定是主的帮助，天父给的力量。不过，不认识天父的人是不知道的。
二十多年前，我写了一篇习作，文中的内容是，我在病痛中悟出了新的人生内涵。文章最后说，如果不是病痛，我的人生就得不到修正，心灵就得不到净化。感谢主！这是圣灵光照、引导的工作。
我把这篇习作，邮寄给一位远方的朋友，请他帮我修改。他说我的前半部分写得不错，后部分就写得不好了，并且说，你这样写，难道要感谢病痛不成？
其实，我没有要感谢病痛的意思，我只是觉得我在漫长的病痛日子里，特别是反反复复读圣经，在圣灵的光照和引导下，慢慢懂得了些道理，才知道了生活里，什么是真正的美，什么是真正的丑，什么是真正的善，什么是真正的恶……在病痛中，才能真正的去观察人心的善恶，人情的冷暖，世态的炎凉；也是在病痛中，才能反省自己的人生过错。
我曾经不止一次地说，我要和病魔抗争到底！疾病是病人的敌人，一个病人对自己的敌人除了恨恶，还要重视，就像打仗一样。病痛中，要随时注意疾病的凶猛袭击，要做好与病魔争战的准备。只要你能战胜它，你就赢了。这种战胜，并不是全指的疾病的清除，身体的康复，也是指心灵的康健。也就是说，一个病痛患者，只要你在心灵上战胜了病魔，你就胜利了。
我十七岁就生了类风湿性关节炎病，已在病痛中度过了43个春秋。虽然病魔残毁了我的身体，但在病痛的日子里，我有幸读到《圣经》这本天书，圣灵光照我，帮助我知道了什么是义，什么是罪，自己责备自己。我从中反省，懊悔，还从独一真神上帝救主耶稣那里，获得了新的生命。
以赛亚书30章20到21节，天父上帝虽然以艰难困苦给我当饼吃，当水喝，却也真的让我看见他了，他引导我走他的正道。
尽管我的身体被病魔摧残坏了，但主拯救了我的灵魂，给了我人生的意义和生命的价值。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系河南唐河一基督徒，重残人。
主给了我生命的价值
In people’s eyes, I seemed to be useless due to my severe disability, and my life was meaningless and worthless. But the Lord, who is merciful and compassionate, let me know the meaning and value of life.
Shi Tiesheng, a late famous writer, said that his profession was being ill. He was paralyzed at 20 and later suffered from uremia, living in a wheelchair all his life.
A reporter once asked him, “What is your attitude toward your illness?” He said, “I respect it... definitely, I don’t like it much, but what can you do with it? You may choose to dislike it or hate it, but this won’t bring you anything except pain and complaint. What you can do is respect it, and regard it as a powerful opponent, as well as a trial and reward for you. You may seem reluctant, but this is the way that you can finally learn something from it."
I am also a severely disabled person who has been ill for decades. I can’t stand up or walk, only accompanied by a sickbed. In the long-suffering of illness, only by the help and the strength given by the Father could I understand something. However, those who don’t know Him won’t understand what I have understood.
More than 20 years ago I wrote an article, the content of which was that I realized the new meaning of life in my illness. The article concluded that if it were not for illness, my life would not be corrected and my mind would not be purified. Praise the Lord! This must be the work that the Holy Spirit illuminates and guides me.
I mailed this article to a distant friend, asking him to help me revise it. He said that the first part of my writing was good, but not the second part, saying, “Do you mean to thank the illness by writing like this?”
Actually, I didn’t mean to welcome the illness. However, it was through the illness that I began to understand some truths, what true beauty or ugliness is, and what true goodness or evil is in life, especially by reading the Bible over and over again under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit. It was through the illness that I could really observe the goodness and evil of the human heart, and the warmth and fickleness of human friendships. What’s more, it was also through the illness that I could reflect on my own mistakes in life.
I have said more than once that I make up my mind to fight the illness to the end. The illness is the enemy of the patient who shall not only hate this enemy but also pay attention to it, just like fighting a war. In the illness, one shall always be aware of its fierce attack and be prepared to fight. When you win the battle, this victory does not mean the elimination of the illness or the recovery of the body, but also the health of the soul. That indicates a sick patient, as long as they overcome the mental illness, will be the winner.
Having rheumatoid arthritis at 17, I have spent the last 43 years in pain. Although the illness damaged my body, I felt lucky that I could read the Bible during my days of illness. Enlightened and helped by the Holy Spirit, I have known what righteousness is and what sin is, as well as my own sin. I reflected on it, regretted it, and received new life from Jesus, the Savior of the world, the one true God.
In Isaiah 30:20-21, although God the Father gave me bread of adversity and water of affliction, he really showed Himself to me and guided me to walk in His right path.
My body was damaged by illness, though, the Lord saves my soul and shows the meaning and value of life to me.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times and the writer is a severely disabled Christian from Tanghe County, Nanyang City, Henan Province).
- Translated by Stephen Huang
The Lord Shows Me Value of Life During Days of Illness
