Responding to Illness With Healing Calm
Over the past few weeks, I was sick. I had trouble breathing, and my lungs felt full. I couldn’t stop coughing, and I sometimes panicked because I was choking. The prednisone, steroid breathalyzer treatments, and other drugs helped, but they had their own side effects. I was agitated, exhausted but couldn’t sleep, and I felt foggy and detached. The first round of medication didn’t touch the symptoms, so I ended up enduring two-and-a-half rounds of the powerful medications. The most frustrating issue was not being able to get my oxygen level high enough to keep me out of another doctor visit.
I am sharing some of my illness with you because I need a pity party. Joking aside, you need to know about the physical struggles to appreciate my emotional and spiritual process. I’d been to Urgent Care twice and the ER once. I was told to go to the ER because an EKG at Urgent Care raised a concern. Thankfully, the concern was on the side of the heart that wasn’t detrimental. The first step in my emotional and spiritual healing was holding on to a helpful perspective. If I became obsessive or panicked, my symptoms would only get worse. I couldn’t calm myself through meditation, because my coughing and choking were too frequent. Yet, calming prayer and asking God to take control and responsibility for my situation calmed my mind.
Often, we cannot control when illness grabs hold. Like most painful situations, all we can do is control how we respond. When we are healthy, prayer gives us the ability to honor God and deepen intimacy with the divine One. When we feel out of control, calming prayer must be second nature to be effective. When the act of prayer allows you to let go, trusting God to take your head and heart to a relaxed place, God will bring peace-filled healing.
My most recent health issue was uncomfortable and occurred over a relatively long period of time, but my life was not at risk. Factual perspective and a calm spirit are key to physical healing. Waiting until illness or panic occurs is not the way to face adversity. Instead, daily spiritual disciplines prepare you for the unforeseen moments when you cannot rely on yourself and must hand yourself over to God. None of us want to contemplate moments of severe illness. Yet, we will face physical challenges that will drive us to our knees. Make prayer second nature, so when you cannot think beyond the discomfort, you will instinctively hand your life over to God and let God do the heavy lifting. Then, even a nasty illness will become a spiritual blessing, because you will recognize God carrying you forward.