In the fall of 1977, while a sophomore in college, I became very ill. Like so many campus students, I was enjoying life and constantly on the go. I was trying to put more into a 24 hour period than I could physically handle, so when I got run down and sick, people who had advised me to slow down weren’t surprised.
After a week of fevers and no energy, I went to the campus health center where the doctor told me that I had a mono-type illness. The best thing that he could tell me was that I needed a lot of rest. Up to that point, rather than slowing down, I was still going to my classes, trying to keep up with my school work, and living in a campus dorm. Since my health was getting worse, one of my friends who had an apartment off campus thought that I would be able to rest up and recuperate faster if I wasn’t in the dorm. She had me stay with her. She lived far enough off campus that I would not be able to walk to any of my classes. I was very anxious about not going to class and not keeping up with the school work, but there wasn’t anything that I could do about it.
A week later, I was no better. Being cut off from class, most people, work, and church was not making a difference. I still had a high fever and no energy. I slept all day long and was only up long enough to eat a little before falling asleep again. Now my parents wanted to get me and take me home to nurse me back to health, but I didn’t want to be farther away from the people and life that I had built for myself there.
A family from church offered to take me in to nurse me back to health. This was an acceptable solution to both me and my parents. For the first several days with this family, I continued to sleep all day. Slowly my fever started going down and I started getting more energy. It was humbling to need to be served so much by people I didn’t know very well. After missing a couple of weeks of classes I was also feeling very anxious about finishing the semester. The only thing that I could do was put my trust in God.
My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. Psalm 131:1-3
This is a lesson that I have needed to learn many times over my life. I can be quietly rebellious and go the direction that I think is best only to find that my life gets off track. Being humble, quieting my soul, and hoping in the Lord puts my life back on track.
Oh, the family that nursed me back to health, I started dating their son shortly afterwards. We have now been married for 39 years.