Illness can quickly make us feel like we have no choice in what information is shared from one doctor to another. Do you feel this way in friendships too? Karlton shares.
“When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns” (Matthew 14:13).
This summer I set about to shore up my online privacy. I soon realized it was a losing proposition. Anything to do with the internet, or using any apps or web sites, end up costing you your privacy.
Many times with my illness I have felt robbed of my privacy. I have been examined in “personal areas” of my health so much that as with the internet, I have felt like throwing up my hands and saying “what’s the use?!”
Yet no matter how much the world, the internet, or even those around us think they know about us, Jesus is the only one who knows us intimately and completely. He knows our weaknesses and strengths, our private fears and mistakes, and He is the one we can trust with our information.
The world clamors to know more about us. It has turned us into merchandise to be bought and sold by the highest bidder. The world only cares about our information–not about who we really are or how we are feeling or getting on in life.
There is a song titled “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” and I have found the lyrics to this song to be true. Sometimes family and friends let us down, and the world cares very little about us.
But Jesus cares–He loves and He provides for those who are His own.
You may feel like your life is an open book and that your privacy is gone. You may have been humiliated a dozen times by your illness and “the world” knowing about it. But no one truly knows everything about you except you–and Jesus–and that is the way it should be.
Prayer: Dear Lord, You know our inmost secrets and secret parts. We trust You with that knowledge and we thank You for being our Lord and Protector. Amen.
About the Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. He is old enough to remember what it was like to not have the Internet. What is was like to read a book without a corporation looking over his shoulder, and to listen to music or watch a movie that was not stored and added to someone’s algorithm.
Do you feel your illness has robbed you of privacy and humiliated you? How can you stay confident that the One who knows you best will not betray your trust?
This is the group Alabama (yep, the one from years past!) singing the hymn Karlton mentioned above, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” It is a wonderful rendition of this classic hymn and I hope it reminds you that you are alway safe with this friendship. -Lisa
Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 