Learn lessons? Can you learn lessons while homebound during sickness? Yes. When I stopped my fight against sickness, I learned three lessons. Although I had learned them in the past, a recent illness refreshed my memory.
The first lesson you can learn while homebound during sickness is to feel comfortable asking for help. I learned that I don’t like to ask for help. How about you? As an independent person, I want to do things myself. If I can’t, I’ll try to figure out a way to make that possible. Sometimes, I need to break down and ask for help.
As sick as I felt, I couldn’t drive myself to the doctor. When my neighbor called, I said one word, “hello,” and she offered to take me to the doctor. My initial response was to wait until the next day. After I hung up, I reconsidered and called her back. She took me to the doctor and to the pharmacy.
The second lesson you can learn while homebound during sickness is that many activities don’t require conversation or much movement. If I tried to talk, my coughing would increase. At first, I couldn’t read because my head throbbed. However, I could listen to mp3s of sessions at a speaker’s conference. That kept me occupied when awake.
The third lesson you can learn while homebound during sickness is patience. Are you groaning? Some lessons will test you more than others, and patience tops the list. I hoped to recover from my sickness in a few days. Unlike instant oatmeal, instant coffee, and microwave popcorn, recovery from that virus continues to drag on.
Psalm 41:3: “The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.”
Prayer: Dear God, help me learn the lessons you want me to learn through this sickness and restore my health. Amen.
If you’re sick right now, what lessons can you learn this week? If you’re not sick, what lessons will you focus on the next time you’re sick?
Copyright © by Yvonne Ortega VIII.XXVIII.MMXVII
