Hello there. I’m very sorry for the longer absence than usual on my part. The thing is, I’m writing this from my bed at the moment while trying to deal with yeast/candida die-off. Not fun. Thankfully my mind it (mostly) back today. 🙂 However, that is not the theme of this post, so enough of that for now!
My question today is, is it good to be sick while we’re young?
I think that there are a lot of pros and cons. I mean, obviously, I don’t think it’s very enjoyable, or necessarily good in our minds to be sick at all, but is being sick as a kid, or teenager, better than being sick as an adult? What a question! I think that someone who has experienced both would be the person most qualified to answer this question, but since I’m a sick teenager who knows sick adults, let’s see how this goes, shall we?
One of the biggest things about being sick like I am is that it changes a person. It’s changed me. The pros in that are that I have grown in my faith, maturity, compassion, understanding, and much more through this change. The cons are… well, that I’ve changed. I’ve lost almost two of my growing up years so far. I’ve been made to mature faster than most people my age around me. I’ve had life experiences that most of those my age cannot imagine. I’ve lost the child-like carefreeness that I could have had. Friendships have changed, and it’s hard for me to really connect with new people my age now. Do these things outweigh each other? It’s hard to say.
One thing about getting sick while you’re young as opposed to as an adult, though, is that right now I don’t have a family to take care or, or a job to keep. However, there is school that suffers rather a lot, which will surely affect my future family and career eventually.
People also say that since I’m in my youth while I’m sick, that I spring back more easily from things, and can heal much easier. Which I think is true. Though of course, often I think that I’d rather wait until I was older so that I would be sick for less years of my life. Unless I one day completely heal. I’m not sure.
The book of Lamentations in the Bible actually says something very direct about this. Let’s look at chapter three. Well, specifically one sentence in chapter three (Though I really think you’d appreciate reading the whole thing. It’s very relatable).
It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Lamentations 3:37 (NIV)
Oh. Wow. So… it is good to be sick while we’re young. This verse doesn’t say anything about it being better or worse than when we’re older, but as hard as it is right now, it’s good to be bearing the yoke while I’m young. It isn’t so horrible that I’m ‘losing’ my youth. I’m not! God is in control!
Why is it good to bear the yoke when we’re young?
Lamentations chapter three doesn’t say, specifically, but I can only imagine that it is for the reasons I mentioned earlier. It humbles us, it teaches us compassion, understanding, trust in God, and much more. It prepares and trains us. Sometimes it may feel like SEAL training, rather than army training, but God knows what He’s doing. Why should we not learn these lessons now? If God knows we are ready to learn these things now, should we not do our best to submit to His teaching? He will not give us more than we can bear, but will always provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13)!
Sometimes when I think about the fact that God does have all this happening for a purpose, and that this is preparation for me for what is to come… well, sometimes I get scared. ‘What in the world can God have for me?’, I think, ‘That this is the training?’. I know that He has a plan, though. One to prosper. 😉 And so I also know that it is good for me to bear this yoke while I’m young. God knows what He’s doing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way outside of His plan.
A Side Thought:
One of the readers of this blog sent me something really cool over the past few days, and I thought I’d share it with you. It’s called the Kill Lyme Challenge. All it is is a Key lime pie in the face to raise awareness for Lyme disease. Will you do it? Let me know if you do! Here’s the link to learn more!
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