No matter what your circumstances, seek to be renewed every day, inwardly. Keep growing in Christ until the moment he takes you home.
I’m Joni and I have a touching story for this, ALS Awareness Month.
ALS is a disabling condition, but some people know it as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It’s a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects neurons in the brain, the spinal cord. And eventually, ALS impacts all muscles, making it difficult or impossible to move, speak, eat, or breathe on your own. There is no cure, and the average life expectancy is 2-5 years. Thankfully though, there are therapies that can help manage symptoms and extend your life expectancy.
My dear friend Dale struggled with ALS, and near the end of his life when even on a ventilator it was a struggle to breathe – well, he had some questions. Dale was a vibrant Christian, a wonderful pastor, he spoke often at our Family Retreats so, he knew where he was heading. It was getting there; the dying part that was so hard. And he asked me: “Joni, what would you do if you were in my situation?”
And so, I told him frankly what I would want. Now, I would never use my example as a template for Dale or for others, but this was my friend asking. And so, I opened my heart, and I said, “Dale, good hospice care should provide you with as much comfort as possible. And that includes medication to alleviate your pain or anxiety. For when people enter that “irrevocable process of dying, drugs should be there to mitigate harsh suffering, or frantic anxiety.” Proverbs 31:6-7 says, “Give strong drink [as medicine] to him who is ready to pass away. And wine to him whose life is bitter.” The Christian Standard Bible puts it this way: “Give beer to one who is dying.”
This is what you would call a “passive death;” your motive in asking for heavy medication is not to “kill yourself,” but to only make the process of dying as easy as possible. And that’s important. When you ask for strong meds, make certain your motive is not to hasten your death. Do not cut short your life and thus violate your conscience [after all, you want to be able to stand before the Lord and tell him that you honored him to the end]. So, check your motive if you’re asking for a dosage to kill yourself. On the other hand, if your motive is just to alleviate anxiety and pain, it’s ok to ask for really heavy medication – that might take your life. But before any of this, ask yourself in your more lucid moments: “How can I exalt Christ in these remaining days? How specifically can I show that he is the “main player” in all of this? What is my responsibility to my family and friends? Visitors and caregivers? What should I be in the face of death? [For me, I know I want to spiritually grow while I’m in that state of wasting away].
I know this is highly personal, what I’ve shared today, but it’s what I told Dale, and I did so from my heart. But before he passed into heaven, Dale made an extraordinary little video that has inspired so many of us. Right to the end, he was being a good pastor; he was growing, he was serving while wasting away. So, if you have a loved one who is dealing with ALS, share this video with them and their family. I’ve posted it at joniradio.org. And let us pray for your loved one with ALS. Just contact us at joniradio.org. Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you next time on Sharing Hope.
© Joni and Friends