The following is the full text of the February edition of my monthly column, Tea & Empathy, in the Redmond UMC Newsletter. Click here to go to the RUMC website to download the newsletter.
I am recovering from the worst cold I’ve had in years. I’m one of those people, who, when I’m taking good care of myself, almost never gets sick. I thank my dad for those genes! But my immune system just wasn’t up to the challenge of whatever bug my husband brought home a few weeks ago.
Being sick can teach us some important lessons. In a society in which we often walk around sort of “hovering above” ourselves, sickness really brings us into our body in a new way. It’s an opportunity to pay deeper attention to our sensations and feelings, to get more in touch with our needs and be gentler with ourselves about meeting them (for example, an afternoon nap that we would chastise ourselves for normally may be a welcome friend when we’re sick).
It’s also an opportunity to allow ourselves to be cared for. Perhaps a friend runs an errand for us or picks something up for us at the drug store. Perhaps we make a visit to a doctor to make sure that clinical intervention isn’t needed. We may have to ask colleagues to take projects over at work, or family members to help us take care of children or chores. Sickness can force us to do something that most of us find very difficult: let others help us.
Sickness also reminds us of our ultimate frailty. Being human means having limitations, not being able to do everything, and certainly not always being able to do things perfectly. Sometimes when we’re well we can forget that, and we push ourselves to achieve beyond what is reasonable to expect of ourselves; sickness has a humbling quality that reminds us that ultimately, we do have limitations.
These are some beautiful gifts that sickness brings to us, whether it’s a temporary cold or a chronic illness. There is freedom in acknowledging that we can’t “do it all.” When we learn to set aside our pride to ask for help, when we learn to set reasonable goals for ourselves, when we learn to deeply listen to our bodies about what we need, there is freedom to simply be ourselves. And that is a beautiful thing, since we may not be superwomen or supermen, each one of us is a precious creation, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139)!
My hope for myself, and for you, is that we can remember the lessons that sickness teaches us, and live by them daily, even if/when we get well.