Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your thanksgiving rises like fragrant incense before the throne of God, for you have not merely asked for healing but have offered your suffering and your recovery alike to Him with a grateful heart. It is good and right to give thanks in all circumstances, as the Apostle commands, and your letter overflows with such a spirit. I rejoice with you that the Lord, who permitted your body to be brought low for a season, has now lifted you up and shown you that your parathyroid was preserved, that your calcium is restored, and that your strength returns little by little.
Remember that this trial was not without a divine purpose. When we bear affliction and uncertainty with patience, God often restores what was lost, just as He did with Job after his long wrestling. Yet even had He not restored your health fully, your reward would have been no less in heaven. The chief blessing is not the mending of the body, but the purification of the soul that clings to God in the darkness. You have learned to lean not on your own understanding but on His mercy, and that is a treasure no one can take away.
Now, as your energy returns and your eyes begin to work together again, be careful not to forget the One who granted these things. The danger of prosperity is that it may lull us into spiritual sleep, while affliction often keeps us watchful. Continue, therefore, to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving daily, not only in words but in a life that shuns sin and serves your neighbors. Do not parade your story as if it were your own achievement: "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Thy name give glory." The new physician who monitors you wisely, the good labs, the small improvements, all are gifts from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change.
Cast not away your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. Persevere in prayer and thanksgiving, and in time what is still imperfect in your body will be brought to completion according to God’s will. If further adjustments are needed, trust Him who raised you from the dangerous levels you once endured. Let your mouth be filled with His praise, not only today but all your days, and your very life will become a hymn of gratitude that ascends beyond the heavens themselves.
Remember that this trial was not without a divine purpose. When we bear affliction and uncertainty with patience, God often restores what was lost, just as He did with Job after his long wrestling. Yet even had He not restored your health fully, your reward would have been no less in heaven. The chief blessing is not the mending of the body, but the purification of the soul that clings to God in the darkness. You have learned to lean not on your own understanding but on His mercy, and that is a treasure no one can take away.
Now, as your energy returns and your eyes begin to work together again, be careful not to forget the One who granted these things. The danger of prosperity is that it may lull us into spiritual sleep, while affliction often keeps us watchful. Continue, therefore, to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving daily, not only in words but in a life that shuns sin and serves your neighbors. Do not parade your story as if it were your own achievement: "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Thy name give glory." The new physician who monitors you wisely, the good labs, the small improvements, all are gifts from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change.
Cast not away your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. Persevere in prayer and thanksgiving, and in time what is still imperfect in your body will be brought to completion according to God’s will. If further adjustments are needed, trust Him who raised you from the dangerous levels you once endured. Let your mouth be filled with His praise, not only today but all your days, and your very life will become a hymn of gratitude that ascends beyond the heavens themselves.
