Sick Before Better

Today is full of uncertainty. It is the first official day of my mother’s chemotherapy treatment and while she waits patiently for the medication that is sure to make her sick before better, I can tell she is nervous about how her body will respond. Though we have known about this date for some time, it seems all of our mental preparation is still not enough to completely calm our spirits.

This morning we got up before dawn and drove the required hour and half that it takes in order to make it to her appointment on time. Though her treatment is starting later than we anticipated, she is finally set and ready to receive what we have long been waiting for. As I sit beside her and watch the nurse hook up the medication that will circulate through out her, I can't help but be still in my soul. She is not the only patient in the room. Chair after chair, sick people around us share in the same uncomfortable experience. Whether young or old, white or black, male or female, illness has not discriminated. As I study the faces of those surrounding us, I am grateful my mother doesn't have to bare this burden alone. While some have family and friends with them, others don't and it breaks my heart. 

I’ve always loved the scripture in Romans that commands us to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” It brings me a sense of peace knowing that if I am surrounded by an active healthy body of believers, no matter my circumstances, I won’t be alone. We are called to bear one another’s burdens in Galatians and by doing so, fulfill the law of Christ. If there is no other service we offer to our fellow man, let none of us neglect to love on our neighbors. I can testify that even a small gesture of kindness can go a long way in the mind of someone who is suffering. May we all be diligent to seek out opportunities to love on people.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13