“I want to give you a few minutes to breathe since I am sure that a Parkinson’s diagnosis was not something you were expecting.” After an hour-long examination, the same doctor who had diagnosed my father with Parkinson’s disease (PD) had confirmed that I too had Parkinson’s at the age of 35. After another hour asking more questions and trying to figure out the next steps for me, I left the office knowing that the Lord was sovereign and that He was giving me a new ministry.
While I was trying to think rightly, there were moments of doubts and fears. What would life look like for me? How long could I continue serving in the church I loved so dearly? What would happen to my wife and kids? There are still occasions where these thoughts and others like them consume me and become overwhelming.
Yet, while the physical and emotional struggles are real and the future of what life will look like is uncertain, the Word of God gives hope. The promises of God are certain and unfailing even when we cannot see or understand them. What are some of those promises that can give hope for those suffering with PD?
Identity
First, those who have Parkinson’s disease have a unique opportunity in that they have a lifelong trial which the Lord is using to remind them of who they are in Christ.
For many who have PD, much of life becomes centered around seeking a cure or the next medication that promises greater relief. For others, fighting against PD has become their identity. However, I want to encourage those who may wrap their identity into PD that there is a better identity. For those who have placed their faith in Christ for salvation, your identity is not in having PD. Rather, you must see that your identity is in Christ. You are a child of God and as such you are in His good and loving care. Your identity is in Christ and not in your limitations or even your accomplishments.
As such, that means that the mind needs to be set on the truth of what the Lord is doing through this disease. You may be more limited in ways you are able to serve but that is not the measure of the Lord’s care. Being limited in mobility, rather than causing us to become angry, should set our minds on how the Lord is seeking to show us our utter dependence on Him for all of life.
Sanctification
Second, life is full of difficulties and all of them are ordained by our good and loving Father, not to crush us but to sanctify us. Suffering shows us how we are not perfect (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, 11:23-33). It shows us our sin and weakness in a way that nothing else can. God, in His kindness, exposes our hearts in these times so that we can turn to Him with greater faith and trust.
Our physical frame may be wasting away, but our inner man (what the Bible often refers to as the heart) is being transformed into greater godliness (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). However, change is progressive not instantaneous. When you start exercising or seeking to improve your balance, you know that it takes more than one session with the physical therapist. It is the same with our inner renewing. Each day takes effort to think correctly about the Lord and one’s situation. While it is not easy and we may be tempted to give up, the hope is that each day that we live with Parkinson’s and we seek to walk in obedience to the Lord, we are being changed into the image of Christ!
In what ways might the Lord be growing you to be more like Christ? While it will be different for each person, consider the following areas that God may be at work.
Humility and Learning to Serve Others. Suffering can often reveal to us how selfish we are (Philippians 2:3-4). This chief virtue could sum up all the other areas of growth, but it is important to see ways in which we need to grow in Christlike humility. Humility as seen in Christ is a mindset of a servant.
Weakness. As those living with a disease that makes it difficult to move, it is a reminder that we are not as strong as we thought we were. In fact, being forced to ask for help is a constant reminder that we are weak creatures in need of Christ and His daily grace (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Growing in Prayer. Even if you are not physically able to serve someone due to physical limitations, you can still pray for someone or write (or dictate) a note of encouragement. When you are on your back for hours, or confined to the chair or bed, the Lord may be teaching you to trust that he is in control of all things, that we need to be still and know that he is God!
Exposing Idols. For many, their jobs, their athletic abilities, homes, social status, or bank account become the object of highest value. None of these things are inherently bad. However, when we value these over Christ, we are worshippers of those things. When we do not get them, we tend to respond in sinful ways. The Bible calls these idols (James 4:1-3).
Greater Trust in Christ. Pain and suffering ought to remind us that we are not yet in heaven. Maybe we are too focused on the things of the world, too dependent on our own selves rather than relying upon and finding satisfaction in the Lord. Christ may strip us bare so that we have no other option other than to trust in Him!
Longing for Eternity
The third hope-filled promise is that the Lord not only uses these trials to mature us, but to also cause us to live for and long for eternity in heaven. Pain and disease are normal on this side of heaven, but as we have seen and discussed, God is sovereign over it all and brings trials in our life to grow and mature us.
One of the blessings of having a disease like Parkinson’s is that while the body stops functioning as it used to and the things, we once took pleasure in no longer satisfy us, we have a greater longing for heaven (2 Corinthians 4:18). As John Calvin wrote, “We duly profit by the discipline of the cross… for we must hold that our mind never rises seriously to desire and aspire after the future, until it has learned to despise the present life.”1 John Calvin, “Of Meditating on the Future Life” in Institutes of the Christian Religion (p. 639).
We do not know what this short life will bring, but we do know that our God who did not spare His own Son has ordained all things for our eternal good and His glory (Romans 8:32). And when our faith turns to sight, the beatific sight of Christ will be the culmination of our earthly praise— “Hallelujah! All I have is Christ. Hallelujah! Jesus is my life!”
Conclusion
As I write these words, I have been diagnosed for almost 6 years. I have not perfectly responded in the ways I wrote. Yet, I am thankful for God’s grace of repentance as I walk through this new journey of life with PD. I am sure that I will continue to battle my thoughts and will need to continually grow in my trust in the Lord and know that His plan for my life is greater than mine.
For more resources:
Help! I Have Parkinson’s Disease
Care for Parkinson’s, Dementia, and Other Neurological Disorders
