For the Non-Christian Reader
Nate Brooks
This post is an excerpt from Disrupted Journey: Walking with Your Loved One Through Chronic Pain and Illness by Nate Brooks, published with permission from P&R Publishing.
If you have picked up this book and aren’t a Christian, I’m so glad that you’re holding it in your hands. I respect you and the difficult path that you’re walking as the loved one of someone suffering from chronic pain and illness. So many people give up and walk away, but choosing to stay proves you to be a person of character, fortitude, and love.
I don’t know what you’ve made of the story I’ve told in this book. Maybe you think that I’m weak for needing religion as a crutch to survive. Maybe you’ve found some things appealing and want to know more. Maybe you tried Christianity once and were turned off by the people you found in church or some hard teachings from the Bible.
Wherever you’re at, I do want you to hear me say that your life would be better with Christ than without him. We are all weak and frail, and living as the loved one of someone beset by chronic pain and illness highlights those weaknesses and frailties constantly. I hope you’re able to hear that insufficiency as God tapping you on the shoulder, beckoning you to come and be with him.
The Bible is ultimately a story about reconciliation. We talked quite a bit about creation and the fall in the first few chapters of this book. God made us to be images of his character—beings full of beauty, truth, love, and perfection. Unfortunately, our first ancestors fell away from God and chose to rebel against his goodness. You and I and everyone else have followed this path; in the words of the Bible, “There is no one righteous, not even one. . . . All have turned away” (Rom. 3:10, 12). I see the way that my own heart naturally strays from goodness every day. As I’ve mentioned before, I get angry when I shouldn’t be, operate out of selfishness, am an impatient father.
Sure, I’m not the worst character out there. I meet with many men far worse than me in my counseling practice. But God doesn’t evaluate us based on how good we are compared to others. He evaluates us based off what we should be, and that’s absolute moral perfection. Being pretty good doesn’t cut it. Instead of condemning us all, God sent his Son to live the perfect life that we need to live and to die on a cross in our place.
The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). We need that perfect life Christ lived, a reality that undoubtedly you and I feel often as we carry this heavy burden. How do we know that God is willing to accept Christ’s life and death on our behalf? The wages of sin is death, and Christ’s resurrection from the dead shows that God has accepted his sacrifice and that our debt has been paid in full. There is one catch, however. God requires something from you and me to be given this great gift. The Bible describes it as “faith.” Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.” This kind of faith is the deep trust that what God says about us is true, and it means placing all our hope in finding acceptance before God in Christ’s work.
It’s not our doing good that makes us clean before God; it’s Christ’s goodness. And that can be ours through faith in Christ. God promises that he’ll give new hearts to those who place their faith in him. The old heart that rejects God is replaced by a new one that wants to follow him. We gain hearts that want to reach out to our loved ones in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). You will struggle with this, even as I have shared my struggles in this book. But God will draw your heart to his as you seek to follow him and ask for his help.
What I’ve just described is often called “the gospel.” That’s a Bible word that means “good news.” Believing it isn’t hard. It may hurt our pride, since we think we can do it on our own. It may offend our sense of being good. It will require us to change some things about how we live as God calls us to follow his Word, which is always for our good. But believing isn’t hard. Jesus says to those of us who are worn out with grief and an endless mound of dishes, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. . . . Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–29 NLT). As was talked about in the final chapter of this book, we get to taste that rest that God has promised now, but our final experience of it will be after we go to be with him. There all these tears will be wiped away, and we will see him face-to-face.
If you find yourself wanting to meet this Savior as a friend, talk to him about it. He can hear you. Confess that you’re not enough and that you’ve tried to live your own way. Tell him about your sorrow for your sin, and your desire to have his help.
Tell him that you want a new heart and his help, and he will listen. If you’re able, the next step is to find a community of other Christians. Look for a church that opens up the Bible and teaches what it says.
If you’re not ready to take these steps, I understand. Life is challenging and confusing, and answers don’t come easily. God wouldn’t mind at all if you ask him to reveal himself to you, to help you see him. Whatever you choose, I just ask that you think more about this free offer of life. Notice where you fall short of your own standards and think about the help that’s offered to you by the one who made you.
Nate Brooks. Disrupted Journey: Walking with Your Loved One Through Chronic Pain and Illness. P&R Publishing, 2025.