Christian Cramps

Ian Wishart in his series on Calvin writes, “On the whole, Calvin had a gloomy view of human life…” Wow, he's not kidding. Following Calvin's prescriptions to suffer like Christ could lead you to a serious case of the Christian Cramps.
Wishart writes: “The imitation of Christ requires self-denial and suffering. Both of these were borne by Jesus, and we should not expect to avoid them. At times it is difficult to place our neighbours' interests above our own, but we must do so with a willing heart and a ready hand.”
You can check this out with any Presbyterian doctors you happen to know (the medical kind) and I am fairly sure they will say that if you continually deny yourself and “bear your suffering,” you could end up a basket case.
Loss of “self,” and I am referring here to losing a healthy self-image, not a narcissistic, self-loving self, is generally not to be encouraged among normal people. The reason for this is that we need a clear sense of self in order to survive.
Too many Christians have an unhealthy sense of self and thus have no boundries; they either let other people order them around or they believe it is God's will that they tell others what to do. The latter types just love telling the former types what to do.
You don't have to be helpless and put up with suffering just because you are a Christian; you can do something to change your circumstances. Start with prayer, if you like, then go out and get the help you need. After all, God has put educational, health, legal, financial and social resources out there for our benefit.
There are very few Mother Theresa's in this world and anyway, you don't have to be a martyr (or a missionary) to be acceptable in the eyes of God. Jesus did it for us.
So get up and go, serve the Lord with a joyous heart, you are free! (It's OK to smile, too.)