Attention

The illness can rob your attention. It will slowly steal away your attention to detail, your attention to your marriage, your other children, and life in general. Before you know it your awareness of God and the amazing life he has for you is now clouded by worry, anxiety, and stress.

Your intention was to get up in the morning, get some cleaning done, do a load of laundry, drop the kids off at school and head to work. But, then life happened, illness reared its ugly head and your attention was required elsewhere.

Your days typically go something like this – your child gets sick in the middle of the night, the monitors were beeping all night and you could not get any sleep, your child got another infection and you needed to schedule another appointment with the doctor or you head off to the ER to address some serious concerns.

Yes, life goes on but your attention that is needed to complete the daily tasks of folding laundry, preparing dinner, paying the bills, and spending quality time with your spouse and other children cannot go unnoticed.

Over the years you find yourself wanting to use the illness as a crutch or an excuse for you not to participate in life. You stand back and quietly fade into the background. Instead of going to church you stay home in bed. Instead of going out as a family you stay home and veg in front of the TV. Instead of helping out in your son’s classroom you make up an excuse so that you do not have to be around other people.

Before the illness you had many interests. You were active in sports, engaged in various committees, and volunteered at your local church. Now, the time it takes to do other things has created a dis-ease in your soul. I used to feel like I had a right to not want to participate in life because of the weight of caring for Gabrielle.

But when I would turn my attention towards God, when I would take my focus off of the annoying and frustrating tasks of my caregiving role and get quiet with Him, I would hear him gently whisper to me …I have given you life, a wonderful life! Walk with me and see the wonders in life that I have for you.  

Let God show you the wonderment of life. Let Him reveal the many blessings that He has for you on this journey. Let Him restore to you the joyous moments of surviving and thriving in the midst of the medical chaos that is surrounding you. Let God free you from the mental burdens and take one day at a time with him.