In the process of loving someone with a chronic illness, we often feel a recurring pang of grief & fear that overshadows the happy moments of our lives. Because the shadow never lifts completely, we must depend on the healing power of love when medical science has no answers.
I have come to underst& that love endures when it is based more on friendship, respect & commitment than on romance. Such love carries with it a sense of belonging, a feeling of home. Couples who deeply love each other become so interwoven that it is difficult to tell where one stops & the other begins. They think alike, talk alike, even begin to look alike.
As one devotes one’s self to caregiving & weathers the storms of illness & recovery, you discover that your heart is stronger & your ability to love is greater.
Love accepts responsibility without complaining & has integrity & persistence. Love is kind, thinks in positive ways, & finds joy in the midst of pain. Its unconditional nature allows the hurting person to pour out their worst in order to receive the best.
God has shown us His unconditional love & now we must show it to others—especially to those who need our constant care. The knowledge that nothing can take God’s love away from us empowers us.
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8: 38-39).
In the face of chronic illness & pain, deeply loving someone with the unconditional love of Jesus is a powerful blessing.
Let us remember that love will enable us to face each day with a cheerful heart. The words of the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 13 give hope & assurance that when all else fails, love never will. “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails,” (I Corinthians 13:7-8).
Lora Ch&ler has been in a care giving role since 1982 when her husb& began his life-long struggle with pain due to a bone disease. Lora welcomes your comments at lorac@yucca.net.
