A nation of hypochondriacs
Lead Summary
By
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By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist
"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’”
– Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, V. 10-14.
Does the modern world even know what a Savior is, let alone believe in Him? Our actions say en masse, we do not.
Look around you. Have you ever seen a population more fearful, more afraid of dying, more dependent on humankind than on God? In the last two years, we have been turned into “in Dr. Fauci we trust” – not “in God we trust.”
That slogan on our money has been turned into a lie.
We want our food to be “non-GMO” lest it kills us. We ask for “gluten-free” products. How long ago was it that we even knew about “gluten?” Ten years, 15 years? What did people do before that?
Our church even offers gluten-free wafers for Communion. Now, that’s a relief.
We go to physical therapy for all kinds of reasons. One of our daughters right now is going to physical therapy to “recover” from having a baby six months ago. Of all the women who have had babies over the centuries, how many have had physical therapy as a follow-up? I’ll bet way less than 1 percent.
Then we are bombarded by ads for all sorts of medicines for all sorts of things we didn’t even know we had. We rush to “Dr. Google” to see if we have any of the symptoms.
On Dec. 4, Laura and I attended a “Celebration of Life” in Loveland, Ohio for a dear friend of ours. What a life and what a testimony of faith this person was.
Around 40 years ago, his kidneys failed. He had to have a transplant, which his brother freely gave him. The anti-rejection drugs, as a side effect, caused him to have Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After that, again, the anti-rejection drugs, as a side effect, caused him to lose both hip joints which were replaced. In recent years, he had a form of cancer that spread across his forehead and destroyed his left eye.
Did he ever complain? No. He was always the most cheerful, most delightful person you would ever want to meet. He and I did Christian devotions online together. Each day we would read a devotion and then comment on it. His last comment, on Nov. 10, a week before he died, while he was in Hospice, was this, “The Bible is God's story and the story of his love for us. I, for one, choose God's will for me so that I might fulfill his promises to me.”
He knew where to look for a Savior.
Dennis Prager says the divide in this country is not liberal or conservative, but has to do with your beliefs: Do you believe in the government to save you from the ills of this world or do you believe in God?
Again, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you...”
Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press. He may be reached at jthompson@taii.com.
HCP columnist
"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’”
– Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, V. 10-14.
Does the modern world even know what a Savior is, let alone believe in Him? Our actions say en masse, we do not.
Look around you. Have you ever seen a population more fearful, more afraid of dying, more dependent on humankind than on God? In the last two years, we have been turned into “in Dr. Fauci we trust” – not “in God we trust.”
That slogan on our money has been turned into a lie.
We want our food to be “non-GMO” lest it kills us. We ask for “gluten-free” products. How long ago was it that we even knew about “gluten?” Ten years, 15 years? What did people do before that?
Our church even offers gluten-free wafers for Communion. Now, that’s a relief.
We go to physical therapy for all kinds of reasons. One of our daughters right now is going to physical therapy to “recover” from having a baby six months ago. Of all the women who have had babies over the centuries, how many have had physical therapy as a follow-up? I’ll bet way less than 1 percent.
Then we are bombarded by ads for all sorts of medicines for all sorts of things we didn’t even know we had. We rush to “Dr. Google” to see if we have any of the symptoms.
On Dec. 4, Laura and I attended a “Celebration of Life” in Loveland, Ohio for a dear friend of ours. What a life and what a testimony of faith this person was.
Around 40 years ago, his kidneys failed. He had to have a transplant, which his brother freely gave him. The anti-rejection drugs, as a side effect, caused him to have Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After that, again, the anti-rejection drugs, as a side effect, caused him to lose both hip joints which were replaced. In recent years, he had a form of cancer that spread across his forehead and destroyed his left eye.
Did he ever complain? No. He was always the most cheerful, most delightful person you would ever want to meet. He and I did Christian devotions online together. Each day we would read a devotion and then comment on it. His last comment, on Nov. 10, a week before he died, while he was in Hospice, was this, “The Bible is God's story and the story of his love for us. I, for one, choose God's will for me so that I might fulfill his promises to me.”
He knew where to look for a Savior.
Dennis Prager says the divide in this country is not liberal or conservative, but has to do with your beliefs: Do you believe in the government to save you from the ills of this world or do you believe in God?
Again, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you...”
Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press. He may be reached at jthompson@taii.com.