The Value of Being Sick

No one likes to be sick. Being tired, the aches and chills, having a fever, not being able to breathe properly, its not a fun experience. Yet I am finding that more and more people are interacting with others (and lets call it what it is - infecting others) because they feel that they cannot take a day off of work. Cannot miss whatever they have planned for a day. 

In early February I was at a conference in DC and my roommate came ill. And because I am a a magnet for germs, I ended up with the flu. I could tell that something just wasn’t right in my body, but I tried to push through to the end of the conference. I didn’t make it. Thankfully there was a huge snow storm predicted for my part of the East Coast so I left early. And I spent the next four days in bed. I missed a church service for my first time ever as a pastor (not due to vacation), which I felt horrible about, yet there was no way I could preach - I lost my voice and was visibly ill. 

When I finally felt better, I did something foolish and worked an 11 hour day. Not the best idea. I ended up back in bed on and off for the rest of the week, only attending those meetings and events that were absolutely necessary.

Was I happy about being sick? Not at all. I had a list of things to attend to that I simply couldn’t. Yet that time in bed, not being able to work as I would like taught me an important lesson - I don’t need to do everything. And I don’t need to follow my schedule exactly. But I know many colleagues who have not had permission to learn this lesson. This past weekend I was at a retreat where one of the leaders came sick. He didn’t need to be there. He wasn’t teaching that at that particular retreat. Yet, he felt compelled to be there, as if his absence would be unacceptable. The participants spent the weekend trying to avoid him as he sniffled, coughed, and generally looked ill. 

Why do we come to work sick? Why do we insist on doing the things we do not feel up to doing? I think its because we like the feeling of being indispensable. We want to feel as if we are needed and that things cannot possibly continue on with out us. But are these thoughts true? Are we so desperately needed that we cannot let our bodies heal? Are we so indispensable that we cannot hand our tasks over to someone else or let them be until we feel better? Are we really our own worst enemy when it comes to how we perceive ourselves and define our value? What lessons do sickness have for us as we are forced to rest?