Thoughtful

Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I am a hypochondriac.

Granted, I've never had a psychiatrist tell me that I am indeed a hypochondriac, but this one I believe is pretty easy to self-diagnose.

I've had these tendencies for the majority of my life, long before I even knew it was "something."

One of my most clear memories of my early childhood years was when I walked into the kitchen where my mom was washing dishes.  I pressed my hand against my chest and asked her, in all seriousness, "Is my heart still beating?"

My hypochondria has fluctuated over the years, with periods of freedom, periods of overwhelming fear and worry, but mostly it's been dwelling in a back corner of my mind, waiting for a random ache or twinge to send my thoughts racing.

In junior high and high school, the "solution" for these times was to start flipping pages in the encyclopedia.  It was a highly inefficient way to find information about a disease when you only know the symptoms.  

But now, every hypochondriac with a computer can self-diagnose to their heart's content.  Between WebMd, the Mayo Clinic, and glorious message boards and forums, every possible cause for a headache is there for the researching.

Honestly, though, the best part for me is not being able to recite every possible cause for heartburn, not including the pepperoni pizza I had for lunch.  The best part is meeting others like me.  Realizing that other people are similarly panicked by the small twinges and aches that most people easily dismiss, if they even notice them.  Sometimes we can even joke about it.

And now I'm finally going to get to my point.  Because this post isn't really about hypochondria.  

When we read the Bible, I think we tend to forget that these "heroes of the faith" were people just like us.

"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months."  James 5:17 (NASB).

David dealt with rebellious and really rather terrible children.  Before that, he had to deal with a moody father-in-law.  Joseph's brothers hated him.  Peter screwed up so many times he probably quit counting.  

Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth suffered through infertility.  Mary was likely scorned for her untimely pregnancy.

The people of the Bible were people.  They are more than just stories on a page.  They were born.  They lived.  They died.  They had problems.  They struggled.  And they survived.

You are probably dealing with a similar issue as someone in the Bible.

Take a breath.

You are just like them.

You are not alone.