Many, maybe most of us, have had Covid by now. I’ve just recovered from it, and thought I’d share some lessons I hope will resonate with and encourage you:

  1. The difference between sympathy, empathy, and identification—Sympathy is feeling sorry or sad for someone. Empathy is feeling with someone something that they’re feeling or experiencing, able to imagine what it would be like. Identification removes the need to imagine, because we’re experiencing and feeling (or have in the past) the same thing! Having Covid did that “for” me—took empathy for people’s symptoms and emotions in it and turned it into identifying with them.
  2. The power of shared experience for bonding—This follows #1. While the “Covid Club” isn’t something anyone wants to join, having joined it has given me full entry and participation in discussions amongst those of us who’ve had it. For ex., in our Ladies’ Small Group, still meeting on Zoom, 4 of us who got it around the same time all talked freely, asked each other “how about you…?”, and got a bit closer to each other as a result. Age and ethnicity differences didn’t matter. Going through this together did.
  3. Hope in the Lord—especially when we don’t see any other hope— Still having sinus pressure, headaches, etc. by the 5th day made me wonder, especially since nothing had changed. Seeing signs of improvement is one thing, but when we don’t see any, it can get discouraging.

That’s when I awoke the 7th day to what I knew was a “message from our Sponsor”—in my daily devo Bible reading— ““May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)

Just reading that gave me hope, knowing if He cared enough to give me that assurance, He was going to give me healing, however long it takes!

  1. We feel better when we listen to the right voices instead of the wrong ones— Seek out and listen to the Lord and wise friends who represent Him. Don’t listen to the enemy or our own downward-spiraling ruminations. It’s very easy to plunge ourselves into the pool of despair created by each drop of our negative thoughts—especially when we’re laying around, with too little energy to do much else. Then the enemy gladly pours more “gallons” of self-pity, self-condemnation, and hopelessness into that pool!

Ask for help when we can’t pull ourselves out of it. Go to the Lord’s Word (see #3), edifying podcasts, worship music, and anyone we know we can talk to that will give wise counsel. It works. I speak from experience.

  1. All the stuff we really don’t have to do—at least not right away, if ever. Having just returned from a series of trips throughout the month, I had thoughts of catching up on all kinds of tasks, projects, and “hope-to-do”s. Covid hit the next day. None of that got done. But here’s the amazing and wonderful thing—I can’t remember what half of it was, most of the rest of it doesn’t matter as much as I thought it would, and by the Lord’s grace, I’ve been getting the absolute-musts done during recovery!
    Discovery— All of us aren’t as obligated as we thought to so many things!

Having discovered this, I’m shortening my to-do list and lengthening my “don’t have to do” list. And engaging in more life-giving activities with that free time. I recommend the same for you.

  1. God’s power perfected in weakness—For everything that does have to get done and we don’t have nearly enough physical or mental strength to do it. Such as:
  • Our work (paid or otherwise) – in my case, this meant coaching clients
  • Taking care of others—we may be the ones who need to cook for our spouse and family, watch our kids, aging parents may have needs only we can fill, etc.
  • Chores—at some point we have to do laundry, wash dishes, maybe even clean the house, etc.
  • Creative things—either we have a deadline to delivery by, or because they’re good for our soul. Such as this past week, when the Lord helped me work on VBS content prep and play worship songs on piano. Plus, writing blog posts and other content to encourage others (!)
  1. God’s timing is perfect—While none of us ever wants to get really sick, whether it’s from Covid or another nasty illness, at least it happened at a less harmful time. Not just before or during our visit to our older son and family… not the week between that and visiting our younger son and family and meeting their first-born son (our grandson) for the first time, not during that visit… not between that and preparing for co-leading our youth outreach trip, and not during that trip. The day/week after all that—which also meant recovering just in time to prepare to co-lead VBS all next week!

Only a completely all-loving, all-knowing, all-sovereign Lord could’ve “planned” that. Not that He causes evil and suffering. Just that we live in a fallen world, and if we’re all going to get Covid at some time, this was a better time than others.

  1. While suffering is never fun, it helps to have a good reason— that “for the sake of…” that makes it worth it. Who wants to go through something for nothing? Since over half our outreach team, including my husband and I, got Covid at the same time, it’s evident where we caught it. In that high-contact, highly populated, high-risk, place and situation we went to. Ahh—but what was that? People being reached for Jesus, some giving their lives to Him, and many built up in Him.

Sure, we may avoid that kind of suffering, be it Covid or otherwise, but at what cost? Sitting around bored, scared, and doing nothing that counts for eternity? And who knows what kind of illness or trouble we could catch in our own home?

  1. So thankful for community— Yes, the Lord shows His power and grace in our weakness, enabling us to do what we have to. But He also gives us community, other people, to provide help and comfort to meet our physical and emotional needs. Don’t “go it alone”. Independence and not accepting help aren’t signs of spiritual maturity. They’re signs of pride, that lead to isolation and susceptibility to the enemy’s lies.
  2. The value of simple pleasures—We all have our lists of things we love to do. For me, playing on beaches, swimming, kayaking, seeing new places, reunions with family and old friends, special events, adventures, etc., all constitute major, treasured pleasures for me. Especially when combining the special people with the special places and fun!

But while our “favorite things” lists may differ, we can all agree that major illness takes those opportunities away. So, after four days of being cooped up inside, my husband and I and our very-patient dog delighted in the chance to get out for a short walk! Something we do often and may take for granted otherwise, but not in comparison to illness lockdown. How about you? What simple pleasures do you need to rediscover the value of?

  1. The power and value of a thankful heart—Continuing from #10 above. So thankful to have soup-fixings in the house to nourish and sustain us when we could eat little else. So thankful to be able to stay up more than a few hours a day. So thankful to have company in the house (since my husband and I went through it together). So thankful for… counting our blessings becomes a major part of our physical and emotional recovery, as well as spiritual edification. Not just when we’re ill, but all the time.
  2. How to become an introvert when necessary— Extroverts like me get energized and re-energized by good company and fellowship. But what happens when we have to quarantine and can’t join gatherings or get together with folks? Or, when we’re really ill, we don’t even feel like it? That’s when we learn how to lean into the Lord’s company. Or, as my husband puts it, “When we’re flat on our back, the only way to look is up!”

 

I could think of other lessons as well, but this is enough to “chew on” for now. Some things we’d rather not experience at all, or if we have to, just go through them once, such as Covid. Hopefully the lessons I’ve shared here will encourage and apply to you and inspire you to dig for your own. Whatever it is, be it Covid or some other kind of suffering, don’t waste your pain—learn from it! Grow from it, and use it to help and comfort others (2 Cor. 1:3-4)