In Praise of Illness

I was sick last week. It was that cold thing going around. I can’t remember the last time I took off two sick days in a row because of a cold. Usually I’m that guy who comes to work and infects everyone else (sorry, I’ll try to be better about that).

It occurred to me that there are some spiritual benefits to convalescence, mostly having to do with disabusing ourselves of our messianic complex. When I am sick, I must confront my intrinsic value while being held up in a state of dormancy; a state where I give nothing to this world except to produce more work for someone else (my wife, Janine, in this case). Contrary to what a capitalist society infers, I have value outside of what I produce. When I am sick, I get to explore my personhood and my worth apart from being productive. I am still fully the person – Scott Bessenecker – whether laid up in illness or running full bore and producing all sorts of good stuff for others.

The other thing illness does is put us in touch with our vulnerability, our frailty. “We are dust,” as the funeral sermon goes, “and to dust we shall return.” Having a better understanding of our helplessness increases our childlike dependence – upon God and upon one another. Maybe that’s why Jesus stripped his disciples of all their materialistic crutches when he sent them out two by two in Luke 9 and Luke 10. “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.” Luke 9:3

Finally, illness grows my compassion. I forget sometimes what it feels like to be miserable. Some people deal with pain as a regular course of their daily existence. When I’m sick, I better understand the person who may be rude, short-tempered or just plain mean. Those who act that way are usually dealing with some level of physical or emotional pain. Illness reminds me to walk gently with mean people.

Next time you’re sick, lean into it. Embrace your limitation, your dustliness, your impotence. Get in touch with your need of God and those whom God has put around you. And be reminded of the pain that those you despise may be dealing with.

Celebrate dormancy: you are no less you, no less valuable to the world and to God, even in your illness and convalescence.