Does Sin Make You Sick?...Literally??

"Afflictions cannot hurt us without our own impatience."  - Joseph Hall

Few things make one think more about his or her own life than when confronted with a major health issue or tragedy. More than battling a cold, or misplacing a favorite pair of earrings, but something truly severe.

During times of extreme distress, even devout Christians, may crack and crumble under the pressure of the circumstances that they have been dealt. And instead of first turning toward heaven for answers, they blame themselves.

Even David, king of Israel was not immune to doing this. In Psalm 38, he wrestled with this exact matter. He was suffering from an unspecified ailment of which he blamed its cause on sin, and God.

We see David criticize, what he perceived as, God's anger at him and strongly voice his disapproval against his malady. Even so, the thought of God being angry with his soul made him cry.

As we might do, David concludes in his mind that his sin is the main generator of all his suffering, causing him to struggle with this self-imposed burden of guilt (sin). We see how sin can make one sick. But does it really..?

In David's case, he thought his affliction was provoked by sin; that it was rooted in God's displeasure with him. To be fair, when we're struggling with sickness or tragedy, it's easy to misinterpret the reasons. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Trials can occur equally to the good and the bad, irregardless. But, there may be some instances where sinful behavior might be to blame for sickness due to the stress, anxiety, and guilt produced by inappropriate actions on our part.

There really is no reason for us to think that a certain sin, or even God's anger, is the source of our health problems. No more so than thinking you will grow a watermelon in your stomach if you swallow a watermelon seed! (Psalm 86:15)

The positive out of all this is that, if anything, it can help to remind us about all the sin in our lives. Now, God, at his own choosing, and at certain times, may purposely permit sickness in order to fulfill His ultimate aim. (Romans 8:18)

However, we shouldn't beat ourselves up by thinking that some sin, or another is to blame for an illness, or adversity in our lives. Instead, we should find comfort in the fact that God doesn't use our sin as an excuse for infirmity and sadness.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit"  -Psalm 103:1-4 (ESV)

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:14; Psalm 30:2; 2 Corinthians 13:9; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 34:19

Prayer: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, amen.  -2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV)

May God lead your path,

Lee