How many of you know someone who is sick right now? I would not be surprised at all if most of you do. As a teacher, I've had students call off of class due to illness. I've heard of kids at my daughter's school who have been sick lately. My niece is sick this week. It goes on and on. . . In fact, my family and I were very sick recently. It started the evening of the Bizzardastrophe. Kate was throwing up and having constant diarrhea for 4 days before she started to dehydrate. I had to stay up all night with her making sure she drank 8 oz of 1/2 Gatorade and 1/2 water every 4 hours before she finally started getting over the dehydration. And my reward? My husband and I proceeded to have the stomach flu for the next several days. UGH!
Isn't it interesting how sickness can make everything seem like it is falling apart? My house was a mess. I was missing work. Jeff was missing work. Kate was missing school. Nothing was getting done. It was like our life came to a total standstill until we could get well. In a life that doesn't stop long enough for us to catch our breath at times, sickness comes and gives us. . . TIME. Sometimes sickness makes us do what we normally won't do - STOP AND REST. I think it is entirely possible that God blesses us with a bout of this or that so we give ourselves permission to slow down.
It seems contradictory to view sickness as a blessing. I often write about how my chronic back pain has been a gift. But, what if we could give ourselves the gift of time and rest without getting sick? What if we decided to relax when we're healthy? Then, we wouldn't need sickness to make us relax, right? We could enjoy the present in a much more positive way. When we get well after being sick, it is amazing how we intensely appreciate the little things like getting to go outside, even being able to go to work. Maybe, we should appreciate these things in a similary manner when we are healthy. Just something to think about. . .
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