SAMUEL BUTLER
In each of our lives there is at least one very special person. There is that marvelous doctor, never at a loss for a wise and reassuring response to our concerns. There is that nurse who is so empathetic and encouraging. There is the therapist who listens patiently and helps us sort out and deal with our emotions. There is the spouse or partner who is loving and supportive beyond the call of duty.
It’s easy to become attached to and dependent on certain individuals who care for us when we are ill and in pain. As we well know, however, few things are permanent, including treasured relationships. Doctors are transferred or retire. Nurses change shifts. Partners sometimes move on. When such separation occurs, it’s understandable for us to feel lost, alone, or even forsaken.
At such times we can turn within and find the very same qualities we had looked for and depended on in others. We can turn to God, our ultimate and unwavering source of love, comfort, and strength. In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, forever and ever, we can depend on God.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
I can count on God.
February 12
“Insensible of mortality and desperately mortal.”
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
I try not to pay much attention to survival statistics for people with life-threatening illnesses. Yet the numbers do reflect some sort of reality, and they’re hard to ignore entirely. The longevity tables for survivors of cardiac bypass surgery and malignant melanoma, in particular, have forced me to come to terms with my own mortality. And this awakening has brought me closer to God in a way I never thought possible.
It’s not that I lacked faith before those illnesses struck. I began developing a relationship with God in the first years of my recovery from alcoholism, and for more than two decades now I have tried to draw closer to Him.
But coming face to face with the actual possibility of death has deepened my faith, allowing me to have a truly trusting relationship with God, the kind I had long sought but somehow couldn’t quite achieve.
The truth is, I have no idea how long I’m going to live. It could be three more years or twenty more years. My doctors and I will do all we can to keep me around for a long time, but ultimately it’s in God’s hands. And that is a deeply comforting reality.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
God has a plan for my life and its foundation is love.
February 13
“Give us grace to listen well.”
JOHN KEBLE
We run into an old friend whom we haven’t seen for months. He is pale and seems far thinner than we remember. After we exchange pleasantries, he confides that he has been quite ill and is suffering with chronic pain.
Even as he speaks and tries to hold our gaze, we can feel our attention wavering. Questions, ideas, and potential advice for him crystallize quickly in our mind: How did they diagnose it? Did you get a second opinion? Anti-inflammatory medications don’t work for that. The things that helped me were meditation and yoga. I should lend him that book I like so much and put him in touch with my pain specialist.
We’re tempted to interrupt his description of the illness and its effects so that we can pass along our words of wisdom. But we stop ourselves. We remember what it felt like to be interrupted when we were telling someone about our illness. We remember what it felt like to be besieged with advice and admonitions, to be coaxed to do this and cautioned not to do that. All we really wanted was someone to listen to us, just to listen and let us talk.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
If there’s no listening, there’s no compassion.
February 14
“Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains.”
WILLIAM PENN
Patience has never been one of our strong points, although we’ve certainly advanced far beyond the “gimme, gimme, right now!” hysterics of childhood. It’s a lot easier to wait our turn, to tolerate other people’s mistakes, and, in general, to remain calm when circumstances or the actions of others fail to meet our expectations or timetables.
But when it comes to our illnesses, we all too often revert back to childlike impatience. A new medication is prescribed, for example, and if we don’t feel significantly better right away, we become discouraged. When our pain hasn’t diminished after a few sessions of physical therapy, we’re ready to throw in the towel. If we don’t see immediate benefits from meditation, we give it up.
If we’ve had chronic pain for months or years, it’s hardly reasonable to expect it to disappear in just a few days just because we’re taking a new drug or practicing a new therapy. When we do grow quickly discouraged let’s remember that the road to wellness and recovery is sometimes a long one, and not always a straight one. If we remain committed, consistent, faith-filled—and patient—our hard work will more likely pay off.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
It’s worth the effort—and the wait.
February 15
“As the inner vision is awakened, one comes to know one’s own home, deep within the self.”
SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB
During a visit to Rome years ago, I had the opportunity to view Michelangelo’s stunningly lifelike and luminescent sculpture, La Pieta. Later, when I tried to describe the masterpiece to an artist friend, he told me that Michelangelo had a detailed inner vision of the completed work long before he first took hammer and chisel to the huge block of marble.
We, too, can rely on inner visions to help us build our lives, especially at those times when we temporarily veer off the path of healing and become disillusioned and confused. We need not be artists or even think of ourselves as creative individuals in order to develop inner visions and then bring them to reality.
An inner vision of capability can eventually lead to self-assurance, confident decision-making, and the ability to again see ourselves right-sized.
An inner vision of wellness can begin to manifest itself in greater acceptance, positive attitudes, and renewed hope.
An inner vision of harmony can bring an end to conflict and discord and mark the beginning of peace of mind.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
