I love when people love me enough and care about me enough to want me to be healed. I love when people want what’s best for me, who doesn’t love that feeling? So, when you have a suggestion for me regarding my health, fire away. I have but one rule, don’t lecture and don’t judge.
It seems like simple human decency, I mean no one likes to be lectured or judged, but you would be surprised how often I get told that all of my health issues are stemming from…my diet, my skin products, my sleep, my lack of faith…the list goes on and on, but some of my favorite encounters have to be…
One time when I was 13, a lady came and picked up my lotion bottle and began to go through every ingredient on the bottle and how exactly each ingredient was causing all my ailments. The worst part wasn’t that I was 13 or that I was being lectured, but the fact that this happened at a church camp… immediately following me sharing my testimony to the whole youth group…yeah. *insert me steaming*
Recently, I was on a flight when the man sitting next to me saw my PORT and began to lecture me for 3 hours about how I wasn’t excepting the healing that God had given me. He continued on to tell me how if I prayed “real” prayers and had “real” faith, then I would be healed. *insert me rolling my eyes*
I love strangers that approach me and tell me that if only I ate vegan, low-fat, high-fat, keto, no carb, high carb, paleo and every other dietary suggestion out there, then and only then would I be healed! *insert me raising an eyebrow*
Let me ask the mothers out there, how does it make you feel when people tell you how to raise your kids? Employee’s…how do you feel when people tell you how to do your job? Athletes…how do you feel when you get told how to play your sport?
Now, I need to clarify something and this is important, so hear me out…I was an athlete, so I’m going to use this analogy, there is a difference between coaching a player to improve the player and lecturing a player to defeat the player and show that you know better and could do better.
When you approach me and lecture me that I WOULD be healed if only I tried a little harder, in whatever category that is, my defense goes up. When you approach me and lovingly coach me by saying I MIGHT find some help or relief if I looked into, blah blah blah, then I’ll hear you out. This shows me you care, you want me to feel better and you have a suggestion, awesome!
I promise to always listen but don’t be offended if I decide that your suggestion isn’t what’s best for me. I love to hear what has helped you and your father’s cousin’s nephew’s son’s girlfriend, but just because it helped them, unfortunately, doesn’t mean that it’s what is best for me. I’ll accept some coaching here and there, but I don’t need/have to accept lecturing.
Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine being sick most of your life. Imagine trying more hospitals, more doctors, more medicines, more surgeries, more supplements, more lifestyle changes, and more diet recommendations then you can remember. Imagine that for 10 years there hasn’t been a day that you haven’t tried something, something new, something different, just something, anything. Now imagine having someone come up to you to tell you that in essence, you aren’t trying hard enough, at least not in their eyes, not by the standards of their recommendation. How discouraged do you feel?
Trust me, no matter how much you want me to be better, I want it more. I will make you a promise if you can make me a promise…Promise me that you’ll consider me before trying to lecture me and I will promise you this, I will listen to your loving and caring recommendations and even if they aren’t my answer I promise to not give up on my healing or my healer.
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