When you are 17 and getting married I have to tell vows aren't really important. The dress and the honeymoon were all I really cared about, so I didn't put much thought into the vows I made to Skipp. I do remember however using the traditional words like cherish, obey, rich or poor, sickness and health, and something about until death do us part...
As I have been dealing with a lot of sickness in our house lately I have noticed a couple of things:
1. People are tired when they are sick.
2. People are grouchy when they are sick.
3. People are less tolerant of others when they are sick.
4 People are self-focused when they are sick.
5. People have to decide to take steps to get well, it doesn't often happen on it's own.
When dealing with anyone who has an illness you know that you need to have patience, and love. In the vows I took, I agreed to have patience and love with Skipp when he was sick, but I also agreed to have patience and love when he was well. How are we as a church doing with those around us who may not be physically sick, but spiritually sick?
I think those are spiritually sick exhibit the same symptoms of those who are physically sick. They are tired, grouchy, less tolerant, self-focused and trying to decide if it getting well is worth the effort. I have been sick both spiritually and physically and can attest to feeling those ways. I also know what a struggle it is to get well.
How do we take care of those around us who are spiritually sick, or how do we take care of ourselves when we get sick spiritually? Before you go on and on about how we are redeemed children of God and we never are spiritually sick let me remind you that all of us fall short of the glory of God and from time we do get sick spiritually. Sometimes it is because the disease of sin sneaks in, sometimes it is the bruises of life that beat us down, and sometimes a brother or sister in Christ will unknowingly break your leg!
The first thing that I tell my kids to do when they are sick is rest! We all require rest, and I believe God knew exactly what he was doing when he introduced the idea of resting on your Sabbath. Here is the thing though, rest is not the absence of doing rather it is allowing yourself time with God to recharge. Jesus himself took times to go and just rest with the Father. Rest is not the absence of activity, rest is coming to Jesus because he promises to give rest to those who are weary and burdened.
The second thing I do when taking care of someone who is sick is feed them the right nutrition. If they have a stomach issue then clear soups and lots of fluids are perfect. So when you find yourself weak and needing nutrition when you're spiritually sick, dig into God's word. Not only is it honey on our lips and water to our soul, it is the whole nutrition we need. Jesus himself is the word made flesh, when we are sick we need Jesus!
Finally when treating those physically sick you might have to take them to the doctor and get them medicine. There are times in our lives when you are spiritually sick and it will run its course like a virus. You just need rest and nutrition to get over it, but there are times when you need to see someone who can give you the right medicine to cure you.
We are entering a season where stress and sickness abounds. I want to remind you that Jesus came into the darkness to be a light to all mankind, and that includes you. So whether you are called to take care of someone who is sick or you realize that maybe you're not as healthy as you want to be, call on the name of Jesus. He will answer you, he will take care of you, and he will heal you.
I will be taking sometime this season to self-care and make sure that I take care of the people around me. I will remember my vow to take care of those in sickness and health...
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