Life is short, and sometimes it takes sickness, near-death experiences, and even death for us to realize this. I was sick for a few years. During those years, I learned some important lessons that I would like to share with you.

Lesson 1: A day without pain is a good day

The ability to feel pain is both good and bad. Good, because it is one of the many ways your body signals you that something is wrong. Bad, because pain is, well, painful. Pain can make you feel like you are going crazy. Pain may rob you of your strength and diminish your will to fight. Pain can be debilitating.  It was for me. I have often said that I have had enough pain to last me a lifetime, and honestly, I do not think I can endure that kind of pain again. Just thinking about it makes me feel weak. Now, after enduring so much pain, I came to the conclusion that a day without pain is a good day. A thousand bad things may happen to me in one day, but if I do not have pain that day, it is still a good day, and I am thankful. But as much as I hate feeling pain, I must confess that I am grateful for pain. It is a necessary warning signal.

Lesson 2: Being sick and alone makes you sicker

One of my fears is being sick and alone.  I fear this the most because if I am so sick that I need help, but I am alone, there would be no one to help me. Thankfully, during the time that I was sick, I was never alone. I had my family, and though they could not help me get well, having them with me was better than any medicines my doctors could have prescribed. When I needed to go to the doctor, my mom and dad would take me. Sometimes, I would think to myself, ‘you are an adult, yet your parents are still caring for you like you are a child.’ My sisters would sit with me. At times, they did not say much and that was okay because their presence brought me great comfort, and it made things so much more bearable. I guess what I am trying to say is that family is everything, and you do not realize how important they are until you need them the most. I am glad that I have realized this, and I am grateful for my family. Not everyone’s family is supportive, but if you do have a supportive family, please remember to love and cherish your family members because when all is said and done, your family will be there for you and with you in your darkest hours.

Lesson 3: Trust me! It is not that serious

When you are forced into a battle for your life, you begin to realize that the things you once made a big deal about or fussed over pale in comparison to what you have to deal with. During my illness, I did not have the luxury to think about life beyond the current day. I literally had to take one day at a time, and each day was a fight to make it to the next; therefore, I did not have the time or the energy to fuss over inconsequential things. I was in a battle for my life, and there was nothing more important, except God of course than the battle that I was fighting to survive. Everything else was not that serious.

Lesson 4: Your health is your greatest asset

Riches are meaningless when you are sick. Sure, you can probably afford better doctors, hospitals, and cutting-edge treatments because you have money, but when you are sick, your focus is not your money or your possessions. Your focus is your health. You want to get better. Before I got sick, I looked forward to paydays. I would even remind my sisters and friends that payday is coming. On paydays, I would excitedly and faithfully log into my account to budget for my bills, and so on, but after I got sick, my excitement about payday faded into obscurity. I did not check my account or budget, and quite frankly, I could not even use the money I had. Sickness replaced any semblance of normalcy in my life.     

Lesson 5: Health insurance is a lifesaver

People do not go around thinking, “I wonder if I will get sick today, tomorrow, or next year.” Sickness often takes us unaware. When I got sick, I did not expect it. It simply happened. Thankfully, I had health insurance; therefore, I could get the treatment I needed. In talking to people, I always tell them that the one thing they should always have is health insurance. In response, people often complain about how high the premiums can be. I am aware of that, but I also know firsthand how expensive healthcare is. When my friend was sick, he stayed in the hospital for about 20 days or so, and his hospital bill without health insurance was about half a million dollars. Now, where would his family have gotten that kind of money to pay off his hospital bill if he did not have health insurance? Even if he sold his house, he would not have been able to pay off his bill. The monthly premium that both my friend and I paid for our health insurance paled in comparison to the cost we would have had to pay if we did not have health insurance. Health insurance is a lifesaver in more ways than one, for it can mean the difference between life and death as well as freedom from debt and bankruptcy. Furthermore, when a person has health insurance, it is one less thing to worry about if they happen to get sick. Having health insurance allows a sick person to focus on getting well instead of focusing on how they are going to pay for their treatment. 

Now, I do realize that some people cannot afford health insurance, and I sympathize with them because the struggle is real, but for those who can afford health insurance, please get it. If you are planning to leave your job, please do not leave before securing health insurance because even though you are healthy now, your health can change for the worse within a matter of seconds.

Lesson 6: It won’t be like this always.

When I became ill, my life came to a halt, and I thought that my sickness was all there was to my life. Back then, I could not have imagined myself sitting here writing this. I honestly thought I was going to die. It was hard to imagine a day when I would not be sick—a day when I could return to normal life, but thankfully, even though I could not imagine that day, it eventually came. I guess my point is that regardless of what you are going through, your situation will eventually change. I do not know how it will change, but I can guarantee you that it will change. My change was that I got better. On the other hand, my dad’s change was that he passed away. Death might seem counterintuitive to what I have written, but it is not. Here is what scripture says, “Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die” (Isaiah 57:1-2, NLT).

Lesson 7: It is not you. It’s God!

We tend to attribute getting well to our doctors, the medicines we take, and our body’s natural ability to heal, but can I tell you this, the credit belongs to God. Yes, God’s healing power is at work even right now in our bodies, for He has created us with an amazing immune system that wards off and fights diseases and responds to treatments. When we go through surgery and our bodies heal, we can attribute that to God, for without Him, our bodies would not heal. You may ascribe this phenomenon to the body’s natural ability to heal. How right you are. But let me remind you of Who placed that healing ability within our bodies, to begin with. God did. As a matter of fact, if you have ever recovered from an illness at any point in your life—even from an illness like the common cold that you treat as nothing serious, you have experienced God’s healing power. God’s healing power is always at work in us.