In the Book of Job from the Bible, a righteous and faithful man named Job is attacked by Satan, causing immense suffering, from the death of his children, to the loss of his property, to painful sores on the skin all over his body.
Throughout the book, Job wrestles with the decision that God made: how can a good God allow such horrible things to happen?
Eric, a student in the UCLA Asian American Christian Fellowship, likens his experience managing eczema to that of Job. Eric has found that his life as a Christian complicates, yet also helps him make sense of his experience.
With his skin shattered by a couple of hundred cuts, Eric said his eczema caused intense physical pain and suffering. The relentless itching and bleeding could sometimes cause him to only get two to four hours of sleep a night.
"I was tempted to come to the conclusion that [having] this condition means God doesn’t care about me,” Eric explained.
"I was tempted to come to the conclusion that [having] this condition means God doesn’t care about me,”
While Job might not have had Eric’s skin condition in particular, eczema can be just as physically painful and tremendously impactful to one’s mental and spiritual health.
Eczema can come in many different forms according to the National Eczema Association. Fundamentally, it is an inflammatory skin condition characterized by redness, itchiness, blisters, rashes, crusting, oozing, cuts, and dry flaky skin. While some cases are minor, others can be severe due to intense flares all over the body. Eczema also weakens the skin barrier, increasing the risk of infection and irritation. While treatments such as certain lotions, moisturizers, and dietary changes can alleviate symptoms, there is no cure to eczema.
It was crazy because one day I would look completely normal, but then in a week I could look like I was hit by a car,” Eric said. On top of its physical effects, eczema also impacted Eric's ability to enjoy food and a regular social life.
When asked about what foods he was restricted from eating during the more intense days of his life with eczema, Eric emphasized that “it was easier to say what [he] was able to eat.”
Eric said he was restricted to primarily eating meat, fruit, and potatoes, seasoned only by salt. "I had to really restrict myself in terms of my ability to spend time with people,” he recalls.
Any physical activity posed a risk for flare-ups. Playing sports, going to the pool, or hanging out at the beach with friends risked the sting of his wounds. Memories with friends and family that would have been fun end up being shattered by discomfort and hardship.
Friends and family members' advice could often be more harmful than helpful. “I think advice I’ve received is just [put] more lotion on. Just try a thicker lotion. Just stop scratching…that one always gets me,” he remarked. “That’s like telling somebody [not to] laugh when I tickle you.”
Job similarly struggled to gain understanding from his friends. For the majority of the book, Job’s friends debate the reasons behind Job's suffering, hypothesizing that he was being punished by God. Job did not do anything wrong, so the advice his friends offered provoked tension and strife.
In the same way, Eric struggled with how people around him offered only surface-level solutions rather than actual comfort for his problems, by focusing on the supposed lack of action rather than himself.
Eric found that likening his experiences to Biblical scripture and centering his life on his faith proved helpful. With eczema lacking a permanent cure, Eric made sense of his skin condition through his religion.
Commitment to reading scripture and praying has been comforting and effective to Eric. “If you continually stick to reading God’s word, it’ll perform spiritual surgery on you…it will allow you to lean on Him more,” he explained.
Eric highlighted Psalm 73 as a specific example of what helped him negotiate his suffering with his faith, especially when he was tempted to think that God did not care for him.
“If I viewed good as health, wealth, and power, I probably would have misunderstood reality and I would have thought God is not good to me,” he emphasized.
Eric found a certain goodness and joy in being able to depend on God. This goodness is not defined in physical health, but rather spiritual growth gained from trusting in and being near to God.
Furthermore, Eric emphasizes that faith helped him empathize with and serve those suffering with conditions like eczema. Eric ministers to others by spending time with them and showing empathy as a huge focus during his periods of difficulty. This is modeled after Jesus, where in the Bible, he showed kindness and grace to people who came to him for healing.
“There was a big period of time where on Sundays, I couldn’t eat the lunches [provided at church]…but in order to still spend time with people, I would get up earlier to make breakfast or to make food that I could bring to church so I could eat with people,” he explained. “At hangouts, for example, when people went to, let’s say In-N-Out, even though I couldn't eat, I would sacrifice some of my time and I would just still hang out with people…even if it [meant] I’d be hungry for a bit longer.”
When Eric came into UCLA as a freshman, he became good friends with an older gentleman at his church who also struggles with lifelong eczema. “We not only share that kind of suffering, but we're also both brothers in Christ.
Job experienced a similar encounter, where a friend named Elihu guides Job into reconciling his suffering with his faith by listening and offering deep guidance rather than surface level advice.
Eric said that his skin condition helped him to be more aware of other peoples’ lives and tend to their needs. Through his very long journey making sense of his eczema and his faith, Eric has found his identity is not shattered and reduced to being merely an eczema patient.
Rather, he’s used his condition to model Jesus by relating to others’ suffering and showing them care. In an advanced medical system that greatly improves but does not guarantee health in people with incurable conditions like eczema, it is crucial to highlight the human pain and suffering patients may experience.
“The reality is, yes, I'm suffering. I'm in pain, and I don't necessarily shy away from that, but I think I wouldn't like suffering to characterize my life or even my personality.”
“The reality is, yes, I'm suffering. I'm in pain, and I don't necessarily shy away from that, but I think I wouldn't like suffering to characterize my life or even my personality.”