Learning from Sickness

Sickness is moving through my family. Again. This is the third wave we've had in as many weeks. I am gearing up for an ongoing battle with colds and flus as the fall progresses and turns into winter. So, as I deal with these unavoidables, I am trying to search out the tidbits to be thankful for, and focusing on keeping my heart glad, instead of wallowing in the grumpiness and isolation that accompanies times of sickness. This is not an easy task, especially for me. I am not a very understanding caregiver. I grow impatient with fussiness, worn down with nighttime duties, and forget to give the extra TLC that an ill person needs.

My mother was never that way. Even while raising ten children, and dealing with the distractions they contribute to, she always made the sick person feel specially cared for. We would get snuggled up on the couch (where she could watch us closely) and she would ask us what she could make us to eat that might taste good to our sick little bodies. She would deliver the tea and toast (or whatever else) to us, along with a cool washcloth if we were feverish, and she would sit with us and stroke our hair. My mom never had much time to sit down, but it never felt that way when she took care of us. Our needs always came before her own.



How interesting that my selfish heart was born to a woman so selfless. But, I guess I am still learning from her legacy. Selflessness must be learned, and my mom had plenty of opportunities to put it into practice. So, in this season of sickness I am thankful first for the woman that has modeled to me what it means to be both a mother and a woman of God, caring for the needs of her family. I am thankful that God has given me moments like these to show me where my heart needs refining, and opportunities to put actions to my words. Maybe someday, by the grace of God, my little family will be able to look back on these sick days with fond remembrance as we see the work He has done through them. A work of changing this woman into a servant after His own heart.