Yesterday's Bible reading focussed on Paul's "thorn in the flesh" postulated as some kind of physiological problem. This was linked by the commentator to participation in the suffeirng of Christ. This makes it sound like redemptive suffering and therefore somehow 'good'. Which gives me a bit of a problem because seeing suffering or sickness as good is contrary to common sense and even anything found on the Bible. I am also not quite sure what is redeemed by the physical suffering of a child in Africa or an elderly person in a care home.
Paul said his thorn in the flesh was 'to keep him humble' (an attribute that isn't always self-evident it has to be said) but the same surely cannot be said of the person with Alzheimers or the child with severe learning difficulties nor yet her parents. Yes, in some of these cases they can 'grow' as people, can learn new values, can discover new definitions of worth or beauty... but it is only ever 'can' not 'will': their suffering is not de facto redeeming anything. And sometimes the opposite is true - such suffering can be utterly destructive.
I'm not quite sure how we are to understand 'participation on the suffering of Christ' but I'm convinved that it should not in any way be equated with disability or disease.
Of course, I read these Bible notes through the eyes of a person living with disease, and that skews my vision; whilst I do hope I am growing in some ways through this experience, I don't see any 'redemption' going on!