When run over by a Mack truck…or a stomach bug

Yep, I am not immune to illness and I am mad about it. I flirt with maladies all the time by hugging children, kissing babies, shaking hands with all who will offer one. I don’t always wear my coat; I miss an apple a day sometime; I like to stay up late hence I miss an hour or two of sleep. But this! What did I do to deserve 3 days of yuk and heading on 2 days of no energy?

As a child, I was so surprised that the rest of the world went on while I was home sick. How dare others have fun while I was confined to bed with tonsillitis or measles or whatever. I don’t like missing out.

As an adult, I constantly think of what I am not accomplishing. And then I have to ask people to fill in for things I should be leading, doing, helping. Being busy means you are important, right? So we fill our calendars so we can tell we are worth something.

I stand with Saint Paul, “He who doesn’t work doesn’t eat”! And yet, Jesus never measured a person’s worth by what he/she accomplished. Sure, there’s lots of going and doing written in scripture, but Jesus stressed “being” over doing. Our culture runs counter to that! I take pleasure and pride in accomplishing, creating, thinking up, planning, carrying out…and I like to thank God for making me a high-energy, lively person, usually. So what do I thank God for when I have to lie down to rest after taking a shower? Or when I have to muster the strength to go downstairs for a meal?

Sounds like pathetic groanings compared to what some folks deal with for much longer than a week! Someone paralyzed would love to walk down the stairs; someone homeless yearns for a shower, tired or not. But when one is accustomed to accomplishing and finds herself unable, what’s a person to do? My first step: gratitude. I am rarely ill and live in a country where medical help is easily accessible. Second step: relax and enjoy “being”: prayer comes more easily when unrushed; humility is practiced when a neighbor leaves you soup on the porch for your lunch; appreciation for a husband who helps is seen more easily.

I do not wish a virus on anyone; however, if (when) the bug bites you, think of the “being” part of following Jesus.