| Apart from hospital staff that work towards healing | | | | reason to fight through to another day. It is also giving |
| the sick - be it spiritually or otherwise, we all have a | | | | them a reason to believe that God is in control at all |
| duty to attend to the sick in one way or the other. The | | | | times. |
| sick in the spiritual world are not necessarily those who | | | | Time and Patience |
| are physically ill or suffer from a disease. Spiritual illness | | | | Time and patience is a pair that must be administered |
| could also include frustration, grief, disappointment, lack | | | | simultaneously. Time means we are available to |
| of faith, weakened faith and all other facets to life that | | | | support the sick when they need us and patience |
| are detrimental to our health both spiritually and | | | | means we can tolerate any rebuke thrown at us from |
| physically. For this reason there are certain key | | | | the sick. Without having the time or the patience to |
| characteristics that we must possess in order to be | | | | attend to their needs we won't be able to heal them. |
| able to spiritually heal the sick. | | | | When this pair is administered correctly the spirit |
| Love | | | | receives spiritual love. |
| First and foremost we must be able to have love in | | | | Prayers |
| our hearts. The commandments of, loving God above | | | | We may not know this at the time but our prayers go |
| anything else and loving our neighbors as ourselves is | | | | a long way to help the sick. God wants this of us and |
| one of the attributes that we must possess in order to | | | | would answer our prayers if they are done in sincerity |
| spiritually heal the sick. If we love God then we carry | | | | and in spirit. God answers our prayers because he |
| out this act selflessly. If we love our neighbor as our | | | | wants us to see that our good work can be |
| self then whatever kindness we show the sick is not a | | | | rewarded, thereby strengthening our faith in him. God |
| burden to our well being. Love is spiritual food to the | | | | also answers our prayers because he wants the sick |
| sick and showing this to others raises their spirit and | | | | to believe in us and him. He wants the world to see |
| feeds their self esteem. | | | | that it is by his strength that we have accomplished |
| Hope | | | | this. Prayer is very important as it also strengthens our |
| Another important aspect of spiritual healing is giving | | | | belief in what we are doing. During times of doubt and |
| people hope. Without hope there is no purpose or | | | | confusion it is a way of making sense out of what we |
| reason to exist. Even if we have everything but have | | | | are doing. |
| no hope then we have no reason for getting through | | | | These four attributes enable us attend to the sick |
| to the next day. Giving this to the sick is giving them a | | | | without reservation. |