A
couple of weeks ago I was rather ill. To be completely honest with you, I was a
pitiful mess.
What
is commonly referred to as the “West Tennessee Crud”—in my nick of the woods—had
its vile way with me, sending me to bed for nearly five days. Even the stout antibiotics I was on seemed useless. About all I could
do was to eat chicken noodle soup and binge on Netflix. I’m only now starting
to feel more like my old self again. Halfway human that is.
I absolutely hate being
sick. However, at about this time of the autumn each year, my immune system
craters and I’m knocked off my feet for a while. My allergic reaction to the
profusion of ragweed pollen floating around likely contributes the most to my
susceptibility to illness. It starts with me sneezing and having itchy eyes.
Then it progresses to a sore throat, next to respiratory problems and a hacking cough, and
ultimately to overall body aches. Perhaps you can relate to my pain.
Despite the hassle and
discomfort of getting sick, I believe there are some valuable lessons we can all learn from illness.
First, sickness reminds us of our
mortality. This body of flesh was never intended to last forever. It is
temporal. James 4:14 (ESV) asks, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then
vanishes.” For all the health crazes people go on, new fangled diets, exercise
regimens, elective surgeries, etc., our bodies eventually wear out and we die.
There’s no stopping it. Life—at best—is extremely brief.
Psalm 39:4 (ESV) pleads, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!” Psalm 102:11
observes, “My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.” In the scheme of
eternity, our life is but a breath. Physical sickness is symptomatic of our
finitude.
Keeping the brevity of
life in mind helps me to put things in their proper perspective. Those pressing
matters that seem so critically important in the moment often aren’t all that
significant in reality. Deadlines at work, professional presentations, and
major events will come and go, and—believe it or not—the world will keep on
spinning.
Second, sickness
reminds us that we’re not indispensable. Human pride can sometimes give me the egotistical
idea that I am way more important than I really am. I’ve noticed that my
family, friends, colleagues, students, and congregation manage to get by just
fine when I’m out of commission for a while.
Proverbs 11:2 (ESV)
asserts, “When pride comes, then
comes disgrace, but with the
humble is wisdom.” Proverbs 29:23 (ESV) says, “One's pride will bring him low,
but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.”
Galatians 6:3 (ESV) warns, “For if anyone thinks he is something, when
he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
Third, sickness reminds us of our utter dependency upon God. Everything I possess—including my
health—is a gift from God. Being ill helps me to be more thankful for times of
more robust health. I’m led toward gratitude for being blessed to experience
relatively good health during the year. This vitality is all too easily taken
for granted—perhaps even
expected as if I am somehow entitled to it.
Occasionally, it needs
to be brought home to me that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV).
Fourth, sickness
reminds us that it’s okay to love ourselves enough to take care of our own physical
and emotional health. Sometimes, we get the mistaken idea that we’re unimportant
and, therefore, not worth taking care of, so we lose ourselves in taking care
of everyone else’s needs—all except our own.
Jesus says, “You shall
love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39, ESV). While Christ’s focus here
is certainly on serving others, an easy point to miss is that it is also
permissible to love your self. Paul implies this significant concept when he
asserts, “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,
just as Christ does the church” (Eph. 5:29, ESV).
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