09/06/2026
"The Positive Side Effects"
This past week, I have been reminded that medicine and testing are often accompanied by a list of possible side effects. Sometimes those warnings are printed on the bottle. Sometimes they are explained before a procedure or specialized test. And sometimes, unfortunately, we experience a few of them firsthand.
After recently undergoing specialized testing and taking medication that came with some unpleasant side effects, I found myself down for a couple of days. It was certainly not how I had planned to spend that time, and like most people, I would have preferred to avoid the discomfort altogether. But somewhere in the middle of the negative side effects, I began noticing some positive side effects as well.
I watched my family immediately begin looking for ways to take care of me. They checked on me, helped me, made sure I had what I needed, and willingly carried some of the responsibilities that I normally carry myself. I received calls, messages, concerns, and prayers from family and friends. I was reminded again of what a blessing it is to have a spiritual family who genuinely cares when one of its members is hurting. And when I was unable to fulfill my responsibilities, Kyle Hill willingly stepped in and helped fill the gap in my absence. There was no hesitation and no need for recognition—just a willingness to serve where he was needed.
Those things may not appear on the warning label of a prescription bottle, but they were very real side effects of being sick. Sometimes it takes being forced to slow down before we recognize just how blessed we really are.
We often think of trials only in terms of what they take from us. They take our strength. They interrupt our schedules. They change our plans. They may bring discomfort, worry, frustration, or uncertainty. But trials can also reveal things. They reveal who is willing to serve, the depth of love within a family, the blessing of Christian fellowship, and that we were never intended to carry every burden by ourselves. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” There is something beautiful about that passage when you find yourself on the receiving end of it. Most of us would rather be the one helping than the one who needs help. We like being dependable. We like being strong. We like being the person others can call upon. But occasionally life puts us in a position where we have to allow someone else to carry part of the load. And perhaps that is good for us too. It reminds us that the church is not simply a place where we attend worship together. It is a family in which we rejoice together, hurt together, pray for one another, and when necessary, we step in for one another. Paul described that relationship beautifully in 1 Corinthians 12:26, when he wrote, “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it.”
Illness is never something we would choose. Neither are medical procedures, uncomfortable tests, unpleasant medication, or unexpected side effects. But God has a remarkable way of allowing difficult moments to uncover blessings that were already surrounding us.
This past week I have been reminded of the blessing of a family that cares for me, friends who check on me, brethren who pray for me, and Christians who are willing to step forward when someone else has to step away. Those are some pretty good side effects.
So while I am certainly thankful to be feeling some better, although nothing has been definitively determined health-wise, I am also thankful for what being sick allowed me to see a little more clearly. Sometimes the medicine and the testing has side effects. And sometimes even the trial itself has side effects. Not all of them are bad. Some of them remind us just how loved—and how blessed—we really are. – djdickerson
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” — Philippians 1:3
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