W.A.M. Disease

11/29/2004

Have you ever had W.A.M. Disease? I have. I bet you have too, even if you were not aware of it. It catches you off guard most times, but it can really make you feel sick right in the pit of your stomach. Sometimes it can make you very irritable, and it will start to infect those around you. Most likely they’ll want to stay clear of you, because it’s an ugly disease. The duration of the disease can be anywhere from a few seconds to a lifetime. It all depends on how it is “treated.”

If you look this disease up in a medical journal, you’re not likely to find it. If you ask your doctor about it, he’s not likely to know what you are talking about. I think the place to find out about this disease is to ask your heart a simple question, “Why am I upset?” Yes, that question can lead to a quick diagnosis of W.A.M. Disease because if your answer to that question has anything to do with self-pity, feeling forgotten, not getting what you think you deserve, others being unfair to you etc…you have just diagnosed W.A.M. Disease, otherwise known as the, “What About Me? Disease.”

Oh, don’t you just hate that? I do!! We want to ask, “What About Me?” in the worst way when things don’t seem to be going our way, don’t we? When those around us just don’t understand us, or they’re just not treating us the way we think we deserve to be treated, or when they’re not considering our wants and needs! We want to ask, “What About Me?” when we’re feeling lonely, forgotten, unloved or when life is seemingly so unfair.

Pastor Dave once preached a sermon about the three most dangerous words. They were, “I Deserve Better.” It was a while back, so I don’t remember the whole sermon, but I do remember those three most dangerous words--and I know they can lead to W.A.M. Disease pretty quickly.

The problem is not really with the disease, as much as it is in diagnosing it properly. We want to call it by so many other names, names we think it deserves like…”They would have called me if they really cared,” or “After all I’ve done, just a simple note would have been nice.” How about a name like, “Nobody really likes me, or understands me.” Then again, it could be, “Is there any reason for being alive, really? What’s my purpose here anyway?”

Do you know that the very first line in one of the most popular books right now is, “It’s not about you.” (“The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren)

Do you know what happens when we think it is about us? We get W.A.M. Disease! It’s so contagious that we don’t even have to be around anyone else to contact it. In fact, sometimes when we’re alone that’s when it’s most likely to rear its ugly head. For some, it even causes them to spend time in bed, under the covers, in a darkened room. Oh, it’s a very serious “disease.”

We all want to live in a fair and just world. We seek justice, and when we feel we have been wronged, we want it righted! Do you know that there is only One who is Righteous?

“For the time is coming,” says the Lord,
“when I will place a righteous Branch on King
David’s throne. He will be a King who rules
with wisdom. He will do what is just and right
throughout the land. And this is his name:
‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’”
Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NLT)

The Lord is the only place where we will find justice, and even then, we will not always see it as that because the Lord’s ways are far above our ways. Things will happen in our lives that will seem completely unfair to us, but in God’s eyes, He has a perfect plan.

I recently heard an astounding story. A person was imprisoned for many years for a crime they didn’t commit. With the help of DNA testing, they have been set free! They didn’t do it! It wasn’t their fault!! They didn’t deserve to be punished, but they were. Where is God’s plan in that? I thought of this person as I read Jeremiah this morning, especially when I read this:

“I have sent them into captivity for their own good. I will see
that they are well treated, and I will bring them back here again.
I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them
and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that will recognize me
as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they
will return to me wholeheartedly.”
Jeremiah 24:6-7 (NLT)

The Lord is talking about the Exiles that were in captivity in Babylon for seventy years. But can this story relate to someone who has been sent to prison, even today, for something they didn’t do? Were they sent there for their own good? How could that possibly be? It just doesn’t seem “right,” and not knowing them personally, we will probably never get the chance to sit and talk with them and see what God was showing them through their whole experience. But, as we think about them, we can wonder what they did with their time while they were incarcerated? We can wonder what we would do? Would we catch W.A.M. Disease, or would we “vaccinate” ourselves against the disease by asking God, “What are Your plans for me in this Lord?” Would we be looking at the bigger picture, or would we be looking at the bars?

I know, I know, that is hard! That would take a great deal of emotional strength and stamina…or would it? I believe what it takes is not strength and stamina, but surrender and submission. All of us could make the choice to either fight against the situation for all those “wasted” years, banging our head against the bars, pleading to be let go, or we could sit down in our cell, bow our head and pray to the only Righteous One there is.

If we were thrown into the “Lion’s Den”…
Would it eat us up?
If we were put into the “Furnace” with the heat turned up seven times…
Would we be burned?
Would we have been alone in those flames, in that den, or would the Lord have been our daily Companion?

What would we do with those years?… What will we do with the years we have living on the outside being free…what will we do with today?

W.A.M. Disease is not just found in prisons where people sometimes are locked up for things they haven’t done. W.A.M. Disease is found in all of us, each day we live, if we are not aware of it and remembering to vaccinate ourselves against it by being in the Word, by finding our hope and our worth and our satisfaction in God alone.

I had W.A.M. Disease the other day; I knew I had it, but it that doesn’t always stop it from coming on. The question then became, how soon could I be rid of it--what “medicine” should I take to “cure” it as quickly as possible?

Sometimes, what we need to do is to stop and listen… not to ourselves and our own ideas about what is fair and right and what we think we deserve, but we need to listen to what God has to say about the predicament we find ourselves in. In Jeremiah this morning, I kept seeing the same word over and over:

I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened. (25:3)
Again and again, the Lord has sent you his prophets, but you have not listened…(25:4)
”But you would not listen to me,” says, the Lord. (25:7)
And now the Lord Almighty says: Because you have not listened to me…(25:8)

Jeremiah was talking to the people of Judah, they were not listening to the Lord Almighty. God didn’t want to harm them, He doesn’t want to harm us. He doesn’t want us to be harmed by others and He certainly doesn’t want us to be our own worst enemy, but sometimes we are because we just won’t listen to God if we don’t see it serving our “needs.”

W.A.M. Disease can be quickly cured if we will only listen. First of all, we have to listen to our complaints…are they legitimate, are they really honest, and are they really what is happening or are they just our warped view of what is happening? Okay, sometimes they are legitimate. I mean, being put in prison for years for a crime we have never committed!? That is a legitimate complaint!! If we are really honest with ourselves, we would know we didn’t deserve to be there. But…what would our view of the situation be as compared to God’s? That’s what we should strive to see first and foremost! I’m sure the people of Judah were not happy with their captivity in Babylon either! Had God made a mistake with them?

God doesn’t make mistakes. We may not like the situation we find ourselves in, it may seem totally unfair, but it is not a mistake to God. For whatever reason, God has brought us to that place for Sanctification—He is making us holy. It’s not an easy job!

After we have discovered we have W.A.M. Disease and looked to our complaints, where do we go from there? It probably depends on what the complaints are, you might say. Well, that may be true. If we are mad at someone, it might be a good idea to go and have a conversation with them, peacefully, and really listen to their side of the story. If we have not heard from someone in a while, we might ask ourselves if we have done anything to offend them? Could it possibly be our fault? If it seems we don’t have a friend in the world, we might start by being a friend to someone else. There are steps we can take to rid ourselves of W.A.M. Disease almost immediately, but even before all of this, I believe the disease itself needs to be taken to the Throne of God to find Truth. This disease is usually wrapped in lies from the Enemy…lies about who we are in Christ.

There is no room for “What About Me” in the Kingdom of God. Do you know why? Because as Rick Warren wrote, “It’s not about you.”
Harsh, isn’t it?
Seemingly unfair too?
We want it to be about us, God is not surprised at that. I believe that is why He urges us over and over in Jeremiah to “listen” to Him.

If you will not listen to me…(26:4)
…and if you will not listen…(26:5)
…but you would not listen…(26:5b)

What are we supposed to be listening to?
The Truth!!
We want to listen to our own ideas, to someone else’s ideas, to the world’s ideas, or to our feelings…and God says over and over, “Listen to Me!” He knows that by listening to Him, we will not get confused. We may not have all the answers, we may not know the final outcome, but we will have peace on the journey if we will only listen to Him! He will fill us with His peace!

When the Exiles were in Babylon, God told them to, “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food you produce. Marry, and have children. Then find spouses for them, and have many grandchildren…” (Jeremiah 29:5-6 NLT)

He wasn’t telling them to grumble and complain because they were in captivity! It seemed He was saying, settle in, relax, you’re going to be here for seventy years, so don’t fight it. I have a plan here, even if it doesn’t make sense to you just yet.

It was as if He was saying, “Please remember, it’s not about you. I’m working on something here.”

“The truth is that you will be in Babylon for seventy years.
But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised,
and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,”
says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you
a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:10-11 (NLT)

As I read this verse again just now, I saw myself in these words. I think I was getting W.A.M. Disease because sometimes it’s hard being away from everyone we know. The Enemy wanted me to feel bad, to give up, and to not trust. That is his goal. God is saying, “Listen to me. You will be here for a certain length of time and then I will bring you home again. I have plans for you, not for disaster, but to give you a future and a hope.”

Being where we are right now is in God’s plans. He wants us to settle in, wherever that may be and for however long, and experience His peace while He’s working on something bigger than we can imagine! The Enemy lies and says, “You’re not doing anything worthwhile, it’s taking much too long, you’re not accomplishing anything, nobody cares”…and then Wham!!… W.A.M. Disease starts to set in.

The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says, “Do not let the prophets
and mediums who are there in Babylon trick you. Do not listen to
their dreams because they prophesy lies in my name. I have not
sent them,” says the Lord. The truth is…
Jeremiah 29:8-10a (NLT)

…and then back up to verse 10 through 11 above, “The truth is….” Things will happen in God’s perfect timing. We will all be wherever God needs us to be emotionally, spiritually or physically for a certain length of time because God has great plans in store that are full of hope and a future! We need to be patient while He’s working!

That’s why it’s so important to listen to God!! To hear the Truth during what could be a long process! If we listen to ourselves moan and complain, we then succumb to W.A.M. Disease and our future and our hope could die a quick death. The Enemy would then be able to just bury us in our agony, and we may very well miss out on the plans God has for us that are good!!

For the dead cannot praise you;
they cannot raise their voices in praise.
Those who go down to destruction can no
longer hope in your faithfulness. Only the
living can praise you as I do today.
Isaiah 38:18-19a (NLT)

When we listen to God we can remain hopeful and we can also find direction. One way God shows us how to cure W.A.M. Disease is to care for others more than ourselves. To forget about ourselves and our own “illness” long enough to reach out and encourage someone else, to come to their “sick bed” and listen to their stories. To give when we want to be given to, even if it’s just a little bit, and as a result, God is ever faithful. He returns ten-fold any effort we have put out by blessing us with encouragement, prayers, and tender loving care from others, sometimes when we least expect it.

When we turn “What About Me?” into “What Can I Do For You?” Truth wins out over lies.

“I will give you back your health and heal
your wounds,” says the Lord.
”Now you are called an outcast—‘Jerusalem for whom
nobody cares.’ But the Lord says this: When I bring you home
again from your captivity and restore your fortunes, Jerusalem
will be rebuilt on her ruins.”
Jeremiah 30:17-18 (NLT)

The people of Judah had some issues with God, that’s for sure. They were not listening and God was dealing with them in the way He needed to. Sometimes in our lives, we will have to be dealt with also. It won’t always be pleasant, sometimes it will seem completely devastating, but in the end, God will always bring us home, restore us, renew us and fill us with hope and a future!

Tears of joy will stream down their faces,
and I will lead them home with great care.
They will walk beside quiet streams and
not stumble.
Jeremiah 31:9 (NLT)

I can only imagine how a person would react after years in prison, being suddenly released back out into a world that has changed dramatically. Think back quite a few years, no cell phones, no laptops, no DVD’s, and the list could go on and on. But what would be most dramatic about this newfound freedom would be the freedom itself. Being able to get up and walk outside, with no one monitoring your every move. To go to the fridge and grab a cold drink with no permission needed. To make a phone call anytime, anywhere, with no limitations, and to visit with anyone you wished, not needing to have them on your visitation list.

But now the Lord says, “Do not weep any longer, for I
will reward you. Your children will come back to you from the
distant land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” says
the Lord. “Your children will come again to their own land. I
have heard Israel saying, ‘You disciplined me severely, but
I deserved it. I was like a calf that needed to be trained for the
yoke and plow. Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone
are the Lord my God.”
Jeremiah 31:16-18 (NLT)

There is a song that says, “Would you welcome coming home, if you’d never been away?” Being away can be difficult, but it makes the coming home so very sweet. Sometimes in our lives, things happen because God is trying to get our attention, He is trying to get us to listen to Him. He wants us to get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Him, because it’s not about us, it’s about Him, and when we are finally willing to accept that, we will find His peace on the journey. He will restore our joy and He will give us rest from our weariness.

As long as we are focused on ourselves, we are vulnerable and more likely to succumb to the W.A.M. Disease, being held in its captivity. When we do realize it’s not about us, and it has everything to do with a much greater plan that reaches far into eternity, we will be “healed.”

Just as the heavens cannot be measured and the foundation
of the earth cannot be explored, so I will not consider casting
them away forever for their sins. I, the Lord, have spoken!
Jeremiah 31:37 (NLT)

Wherever we are in life, be it in location or in emotions, God has a plan for all of us! The enemy’s plan is to ruin what God has planned. If the enemy can inject us with just enough of his venom to cause W.A.M. Disease, then his work for the day has been a success. We must be “vaccinated” against this disease daily, prayerfully, by listening!! Not to the lies, but to God’s Truth!

Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

When we are still, we can hear God speak. When we listen to Him, we will not be so tempted to say, “What About Me?” but instead:
“Thank you Lord for letting me be a part of Your eternal plan.
What can I do for You today?
Where would You have me be?
Who would You have me help?”

Thy will be done…

Diane