• About Us
• Church Family
• Pathfinders
• Online Magazine
• Church Location
• Site Map

Nobody Likes Being Sick

Pastor's Piece, by Alexis Ratu

 
When you are sick you feel terrible, it slows you down, you are stuck in bed, and the worst part for me is that you just don't feel like eating.  With winter just around the corner, we are more vulnerable to getting sick. 

Being sick has been the reality of my household over the last 3 weeks.  First my wife got Covid, then my 3 month old baby, and now me.  It started with an itchy throat, progressing to a cough, and then came the body aches. This sickness forced us to push back appointments, stay in bed, and remain in isolation to care for ourselves. 

While this sickness has been an inconvenience, the one thing that I can appreciate is the forced reminder to go back to basics. While being sick we had to eat simple meals like soup, we had to rest, and we had to allow others (like our neighbours) to provide us support. A silver lining through the chesty cough and pile of tissues, is the forced time to reflect on our basic needs.

I am reminded of Psalm 23, where David reflects about God as his shepherd and says that "He makes me lie down in green pastures, leads me beside still waters, he refreshes my soul."  Just as a shepherd leads his sheep to a place where they can rest, so does our Heavenly Father guide us through experiences where we are given time to rest, reflect and be refreshed.  Perhaps for me, this down time with Covid has been a blessing in disguise, where my Shepherd is making me lie down in order to restore my soul. Only God could use such uncomfortable, inconvenient and challenging circumstances for my good. 

In reflection I have realised that …

• Feeling terrible helps me appreciate my life.
• Slowing down helps me to remember what my priorities are.
• Resting reminds me that I'm not made of steel and of my need for Him.
• Asking for help keeps me humble.

The next time you find yourself in an uncomfortable place, maybe it is an opportunity where God is leading you to rest, to reflect, and to remember your need for Him.

Copyright © 2022 Thornleigh Seventh-day Adventist Church