An 8-year-old boy named “George” was diagnosed with a rare constellation of five auto-immune diseases; two of these diseases were terminal and could take his life. At the time of diagnosis, the diseases were very aggressive; he faced the possibility of being completely bed-ridden in the next couple of months and facing death within five months. However, George received aggressive treatments and experienced the support of a loving family. After two years of treatments, George began to be angry about his condition. One night, his older brother was going to bed and he saw his younger brother on the floor. He nudged him and asked, “What are you doing?” George responded that he was praying because he did not want to be angry at God. He then asked his older brother, “Why did God allow these diseases to happen to me?” The older brother then said, “Let’s go and talk to Mom and Dad.” George approached his parents and posed this question: “Why did God give me all of these diseases?”
The Mom and Dad come to you and ask, “What should we share with our son?” Consider the following questions as you complete your thread:
- What are the doctrinal issues to consider in this situation?
- How would these doctrines aid you in sharing with the parents?
- If the parents requested that you counsel their son, what information would you counsel George?
A Theology of Biblical Counseling: The Doctrinal Foundations of Counseling Ministry
Response
The doctrinal issues pertaining to childhood disease often require the exploration of the problem of natural evil and a theology of suffering. Regarding the problem of evil, Millard Erickson (1998) suggests that most solutions attempt to diminish God’s omnipotence, goodness, or the power of evil (pp. 439-446). Alternatively, John Feinberg (2001) notes that several theodicies, without diminishing God or evil, have been espoused including Augustine’s free-will theodicy, the Irenaean soul-building theodicy, and Leibniz’s theodicy of infinite contingent possibilities where God creates optimal alternatives (p. 1185). Heath Lambert (2016) asserts that God’s character, which includes His attributes of strength and care, underpins the theology of suffering (p. 255). Lambert (2016) also explains that a theology of suffering provides three categories of benefits. Suffering can benefit believers’ lives by leading to holiness, benefit other people by sharing in God’s comfort, and glorify God as individuals learn dependence on Him (pp. 263-269).
Without an understanding of God’s attributes of strength and care, trusting the application of the doctrines is impossible. Accordingly, I would begin by reinforcing God’s attributes to George’s parents, which include God’s omniscience, His infinite familiarity with the situation; God’s omnipresence, His constant presence with George; God’s goodness, His effort to always do what is best for George; and love, His deep love for George. I may discuss a relevant theodicy, such as the Irenaean soul-building theodicy, which asserts that although evil exists, God “intends to use it to build souls and ultimately develop people” (Feinberg, 2001, p. 1186). Although difficult to comprehend, if George’s parents believe God’s attributes, it is reasonable that they could trust God in using the difficult situation to move George and others toward relying more on Christ. Scripture verses such as Roman 5:3-5, which address suffering, may assist George’s parents (English Standard Version). Furthermore, I could discuss an aspect of the theology of suffering by retelling the story of the man born blind in John 9:1-3. The story could reinforce that George’s malady is not the fault of humans, and that God has an uncanny ability to bring glory to Himself and bless others through suffering. Again, difficult to comprehend, but if George’s parents believe in God’s attributes, then they may find a way to trust God via a theology of suffering.
Counseling George would start by explaining that anger is normal in difficult situations, and he does not have to be afraid to tell God. Reading Psalm 55 from Eugene Peterson’s work, The Message, may assist George in understanding, while simultaneously comforting him in communicating his authentic feelings. Furthermore, reading Psalms 100:5, 106:1, and 107:1 may assist George in understanding God’s incredible goodness and extravagant love for him. After explaining God’s attributes, I may ask, “George do you think it is possible that God could somehow make something good happen out of these diseases? Do you think you could trust God to do that even though it might be hard?” Finally, I would pray with George and likely shed a few tears with him.
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References
- Erickson, M. J. (1998). Christian theology (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
- Feinberg, J. S. (2001). Theodicy. In W. A. Elwell (Ed.), Evangelical dictionary of theology (2nd ed., pp. 1184-1187). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
- Lambert, H. (2016). A theology of biblical counseling: The doctrinal foundations of counseling ministry. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
