I have worked for a long time quietly amongst HIV and AIDS sufferers.....in our world (unlike the 3rd world counteries) we have modern day combination therapy to try and keep this dreadful virus under control..to allow people to live normal ordinary lives without having to be cast out from society unlike the leppers of old.
Before you all shout at me and say they are not leppers, I agree with you they are not, however they are often still treated as if they are even sadly by members of the medical profession....actually I worked with a man who had leprosy and he claimed it was far more socially acceptable to have his disease than HIV/AIDS. HIV is a sneaky virus ofcourse, and as a rule you can not see any outward signs that anyone is a sufferer unless they choose to tell you, unlike leprosy. How many of us I wonder actually knows someone with HIV, how would we feel if our best friend or our child told us they had this virus? How would we feel about people with HIV/Aids being made to live in colonies? How would we feel about sharing a communion cup with someone who has HIV? actually we probably all have at some point because about 1 in 4 people who have HIV don't even know it! As Christians, we are all meant to accept and be able to treat people with this and other diseases with compassion and care about them. In reality we are also human and without intending to our face can often betray our horror.When we pray for the sick, we should also remember the men, women and children, gay and Straight who have this virus and pray that a cure can oneday be found. In a practical way consider how you would behave towards someone who has this virus.......Could we accept them, welcome them? Pray and ask for strength and help to be able to be the loving person you know you are, so that others learn from you by your example. things have changed sine the '80's and people are aware that you can not catch it from breathing the same air, by the way you cant catch it from the same communion cup either....but then you knew that didn't you?!!!!! Not eveyone gets this virus from sex acts.....could be that they were working helping people and got stabbed with an infected needle, would we treat them any differently to someone who caught it through sex?........It is a devastating virus, no longer a death sentence, but socially it can be a very isolating one........and someone sitting next to you or very close to you could have this virus now and they may not even know it but they might..............pray for help, guidence and strength just incase our own faith is tested by this virus.........there is a saying in the UK "there but for the Grace of God go I" How would we want or hope to be treated if WE had this living inside us? My prayers and love go with you all
