An Unexpected Guest
“Illness usually comes as an unexpected guest, threatening to disorder our routines and make our lives incoherent. The stories that constitute our lives are meant to give us a sense of control and to assure us that we know where we are and in what time we live. Yet the stories that we may actually be living may not be the ones we think we are living, but our illusions are dear to us. Illness often destroys our illusions as well as our confidence that we are in control. To be a Christian is to undergo the training necessary to know how to live out of control.”
– Stanley Hauerwas, Approaching the End: Eschatological Reflections on Church, Politics, and Life