I hate being sick. Not that this is a revelation or profound insight into my life, but I thought I should say it. And I’m saying it because I’m sick as I type. Like, ‘influenza A’ on my back kind of sick. It’s not just me, by the way. The whole family got this week-long tormentor. Jack brought it home from school. It began as a cough, but rapidly evolved into fever, chills, and whole-body shutdown. For all five of us.
But, in the midst of it, I’ve concluded—probably not for the first time—that there’s a good way to be sick, and a weak way to be sick. So, the next time you go down for the count, try and remember these simple truths, and make yourself a better sufferer.
- There are people who feel like this all the time. There are people going through treatments or suffering with chronic disease who feel as terrible as you do now, but more constantly. Take a moment, in the middle of your pain, and pray for them.
- No one is obligated to take care of you. Everyone is fighting their own battles—physical, mental, emotional, etc. If someone else also has the capacity to look after you in the midst of their own fight, they are heroic. We want to think they “should”—because they are family, or because they aren’t as sick as we are—but that’s an entitled expectation, not a reality. If anyone is there to rub your feet or bring you soup, be grateful. You’re lucky. They are giving you a glimpse of grace and mercy.
- This is practice for resting. We were all designed to rest—at least one day a week. But we have such a struggle with that. When we’re sick, we’re forced to rest. Don’t try and be a hero. Give your body the rest it needs. The world will go on without you, and realizing that is part of being human.