Dear God, Where THE HEALTH are You???

All across Facebook and the internet people have been spewing their opinions since the recent ruling by the Supreme Court in favor of Obamacare.

I've read SO MUCH of it now that it sounds like a disturbed wasps' nest where everyone is getting stung and screaming and yet it goes on and on...

However, this blog I am writing is not to the general masses buzzing in circles, but to my brothers and sisters in Christ, some who refer to themselves as Christian Conservatives, and who have voiced their disapproval of Universal Health Care.


I'm writing you, my dear fellow believers, because I would like to ask you one important question: why haven't we, The Church in America, proposed a non-government-involved-solution to our country's ever declining health care crisis??? Because I haven't heard a thing. Not one idea at all, except to vote against Obamacare?

Now, if we Christians truly claim to be The Body of Christ present on this earth just as the Bible says we are (Romans 12:5, 1 Cor. 12:27) and as Christ's Body we are instructed by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, and most importantly: to LOVE (and all that the word love implies) to love one another, our neighbors as ourselves, and even our most despised enemies, then I ask you, WHY IN THE WORLD aren't we taking care of the sick in our country who cannot afford healthcare, let alone see a doctor or pay for a simple prescription???

I'm going to tell you about a friend of mine, she's in her late 30's, and for 15 years she has suffered from a debilitating, chronic disorder that is not recognized by Disability. She has no family, both her parents are dead, she gets by on the meager income her boyfriend makes. She is unable to travel due to her disorder, and she lives in a small town with incompetent doctors who have not been able to help her. About a month ago, her Medicaid ran out --not that it helped her much since her doctors were idiots! She is, needless to say, extremely depressed, and alone.

In the past five months, my friend has tried to commit suicide three times. Now this is a caucasion woman, (I mention her ethnicity because, unfortunately, many people, including Christians, think the lack of healthcare in our country is not a problem among white people) she has a college degree, had a promising career and even traveled the world...until this disorder suddenly came into her life, and she has since been homebound --suffering every day for the past 15 years!!!

My friend is also a Christian...and the most help she has received from local believers is advice that she "should just pray" and that they are "praying for her." Prayer, of course, is needed, but her
needs go beyond spiritual...she needs medical help for her physical body.

I could tell you about a dozen more stories, including that of my own (I have no health insurance and a variety of chronic disorders) as well of friends I know, whose stories are similar except that their physical disabilities range from Multiple Sclerosis (which, by the way, is nearly impossible to get Disability benefits for) to women with critical pregnancies who have been unable to get Medicaid, pay for doctors, and who have been turned down by specialists because they have NO medical insurance! The worst sin, however, is that these same friends of mine across the United States have received little-to-no help, financially speaking, from the churches they have faithfully been a part of for years.

Now, I know some of you may be thinking, well, there is that organization called 
Christian Healthcare Ministries that helps Christians pay their medical bills. Sure, that's great, but let's repeat that last line again: they help Christians. Maybe this organization should change their name to The Bad Samaritan Healthcare Ministries, because they step right over the traveler who was robbed, stripped, beaten and left on the side of the road to die. 

Why do I say this? Because in order for this oh-so-loving Christian organization to help you, you have to meet their requirements, the first being, like I said: you have to be a Christian! You also have to be an active member of a church (that is, unless you're bedridden), you must live by biblical principles (whatever that means), and you cannot be a tobacco user --though a little wine here and there is fine. No joking. So, if you're a struggling Christian, or one of the lowly scum of the earth, like a smoker, a prostitute, druggie, a more-than-an-alcoholic-drink-here-and-there person, or God forbid -a non-Christian (!) well, sorry, you're shit out of luck, because this ministry is for good, little Christians only!

So, excluding all the exemplary Christians who are able to receive medical aid from exclusive ministries as the one mentioned above, what the HEALTH do we do, as The Body of Christ -in America- to minister to our neighbors, believers or not, who are sick and suffering and cannot afford health care?

Well, dear family in Christ, I have something radical to propose! Something that will not only show America, but also the world that Jesus Christ is present on the earth and cares for the health needs of every individual!

Here is what we must do:

Step one: CLOSE DOWN and SELL every church building across the United States! Stop putting our money towards the cost of church buildings, utilities, land, staff, and pastors. Also shut down every televangelist, Christian television and radio program, and stop the presses on all those millions of Christian magazines and for the love of God, stop making awful Christian contemporay music! (We'll keep Christian books going, though. Books are good.) Maybe we should shut down some Christian colleges as well. LOTS of money (if not lots of wasted money) found in all of the above!!!

Step two: Hold church groups in our homes and collect the money we earned from the sales of our church buildings, as well as the money we would have given to the various "stuff" above, and collect it for the sick and needy.

Step 3: Get to really know every person in your home church and every person on your street and/or neighborhood --become a tight-knit community! Find out who the sick and needy are among you, and help them in every way, especially with medical finances!!!

Yep!! That's it!! Do the above and the health care crisis in our country will be solved!!! Hooray! 

Okay now, I'm not an idiot (though some might think otherwise), and I am quite aware that something this radical will not happen in our country for a variety of reasons: some sensible, some atrocious. But I didn't write this blog for you to come back at me with explanations for why my radical (or silly) idea won't work, or why we cannot die to ourselves and christian traditions that drastically. I mean, who do I think we all are, GOD??? 

The reason I wrote this is because I want us to THINK. I want my christian family in the United States of America to really take into consideration that WE ARE THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and stop blaming the government for all of our country's problems, and DO SOMETHING --come up with a great and radical health plan that can assist every person in our country! DO SOMETHING RADICAL! DO SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST PRAY FOR THE SICK AND THE POOR!

My very special hope is that when we do pray to Father about our country's health care crisis, that we will actually take the time to LISTEN to what HE has to say about it. Ask Him what He wants us --His manifested Body on Earth-- to do, to prove He is the God of love and compassion, who heals the sick, proclaims good news, who sets the captive free! What does He want us to do to reveal that He is the Almighty God we have claimed Him to be???

Now is the time. If we don't at least try to do something (more than cast a vote, or even pray), and the government provides Universal Healthcare, well, we will certainly have no right to complain.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE NOTE: any attempt to post comments/responses in way of unsolicited advice, criticism, analysis, words-of-wisdom or correction, or worse-case-scenario: berating and condemning me for my expressed opinions, thoughts or emotions on this blog, on Facebook, or via e-mail are not welcome! THE ABOVE LIST OF RESPONSES ARE TERMED "INVALIDATION". LOOK IT UP. IT'S A FORM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE IT. only positive comments or messages with uplifting, encouraging content, such as, "thank you for sharing" or "i will be praying" are welcome, as well as the ever-so-confirming "like" button on FB. thank you for being gracious. much love ~Heather