The sad news was finally revealed on May 31, 1997, by San Francisco Chronicle’s religion writer, Dan Lattin.
Incapacitated by a series of strokes, Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross sits in a cluttered corner of her home in the desert, smoking Dunhill cigarettes, watching TV and waiting to die…Kuebler-Ross revolutionized the way Americans look at death and dying, but decades of work with the terminally ill has done little to ease her own transition into the great beyond…Her mood is feisty, but her German-accented voice is faint and tinged with bitterness. “For 15 hours a day, I sit in this same chair, totally dependent on someone else coming in here to make me a cup of tea” she says. “It's neither living nor dying. It's stuck in the middle. My only regret is that for 40 years I spoke of a good God who helps people, who knows what you need and how all you have to do is ask for it. Well, that's baloney. I want to tell the world that it's a bunch of bull. Don't believe a word of it…I can’t wait to die.”
(1 Ki 19:1-5) Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. I have had enough, LORD, he said. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors. Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
What these two people have in common is crushing disappointment. Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross told people that God would take care of them no matter what. Then she found herself crippled and totally dependent upon others. Elijah won a great victory against the prophets of Baal. Immediately he was threatened with execution. Both of these people must have had high expectations which ended up unrealized. Instead of the restoration of true worship – flight into the desert. Instead of victory in Jesus – slow death in a chair. I have experienced disappointment like this. I have been under that broom tree demanding an explanation from God for the disaster that occurred. Have you been there too? If you haven’t there is a good chance that some day you will. When the unthinkable happens – what do we do?
One of my very favorite writings in the Urantia Book is titled The Young Man Who was Afraid (1437.2). While Jesus and Ganid were exploring the island of Crete they chance upon a man who was hiding from the world in the mountains. Jesus’ inspiring response is two fold.
We are in charge of our own minds. If there is no physical problem inhibiting the clear thinking of our minds then we are capable of using the extraordinary gift of mind in solving our problems. Jesus says our minds are more than capable of overcoming fear and disappointment. We do that by going to work on problem solving and not dwelling upon the disappointments. I have wondered what I would do if I were incapacitated. And I tell you that if I could use only one finger, and my mind was clear, I would continue to write. I would find a way to communicate my ideas with others. Many people have shown that mind can overcome physical handicaps. In my town there is a woman who is totally paralyzed with ALS, Lou Gerhigs disease. Yet she produces a newsletter for her church (she is the pastor’s wife) and the Sunday bulletin. Jesus said this to the young man; Your mind should be your courageous ally in the solution of your life problems rather than your being, as you have been, its abject fear-slave and the bond-servant of depression and defeat (1438.1). Unless there is a something out of our control, we can choose to attack our problems or to run away from them.
Jesus also said that the spirit which lives within is a powerful ally. Jesus says that if we allow it, God’s spirit will help us to act in a positive way that will enable us to solve life’s problems and grow in faith. Spiritually inspired action will also move us away from fear of the people around us and towards love of the people around us. Jesus says the combination of mind and spirit will create a new person. A person dedicated to serving God and serving people. Mind and spirit creates citizens of the universe who are capable of facing every challenge and confident in an eternal destiny with God. I have a friend who felt God calling her to start a prison ministry. With no background in this kind of work, she persistently knocked on the door of the jail proclaiming her vision. Over time they grudgingly let her in and today she leads a powerful ministry in that facility. Surely with the power of God’s spirit and her own determination no prison bars could stand in her way.
The inspiring words of Jesus have helped me to face many problems in my life. A few years ago I had a terrible disappointment in my career and I almost walked away from it. Today I realize that I am so much better off for not giving up a lifestyle I love and a job I belong in. Elijah got up from under that broom tree and went back to work. With God’s help we can do the same.
God Bless You,
William Whitehead
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