Devotion February 15, 2017
15/02/17 22:26
Greetings!
It was about two weeks ago. I had Wednesday night Bible Study just as I always do. It had been a pretty productive day and I had even been able to work ahead a little bit - always a plus since in this pastoring business you truly never know what might happen next. A phone call can rush you out the door at a moments notice and while you are glad to be available there is always that little voice in the back of your head going, “Did I get (fill in the blank) done?” So anytime you can work a head a little bit it is a good thing!
So Bible Study went well - my two Bible Studies are pretty much my favorite times during the week! I go home after Bible Study was over, do the Wednesday night chores I always do and after the news (it is imperative one keeps up with the crime in Charlotte……) I went to bed. All was well it seemed - just as normal as it always is which is the way I like it!
The next morning I wake up, felt a little tireder than usual but I’m getting old and it is not that unusual to feel tired in the morning - this getting old thing is not for the sissy…..
Anyway, it was Thursday so the routine is to go over to the church and get the bulletins copied and inserts made so that my faithful bulletin folder/stuffers can come by and fold and stuff the bulletins in preparation for Sunday morning - what a great help this people are!
So the bulletins are copied and the inserts are copied and chopped in half and everything is laid out and I kind of notice as I’m doing this that there is a little headache creeping up from the back of my head and my chest is a little tight but again I’m thinking it is just the old thing and didn’t pay much attention as my nose begins to fill up and my back starts to get a little achy and well it is about lunch time so I figure it is a good time to go home and eat some lunch and I can finish the odds and ends I need go do before I go off on my normal Thursday afternoon visiting…..
I had my normal peanut butter sandwich but it seemed like it took me forever to eat it and I didn’t even want any potato chips to go with it (a true sign of Armageddon) and then I said to my husband, “You know, I don’t do this very often but I think I’ll take a short nap after lunch…” He looked at my like I was from Mars but he chimed in “You do look a little pale….” Thanks......
So to my recliner I go and about 3 o’clock he gently nudges me and inquired if I was still alive and it was apparent at that point as I groaned loudly that the dreaded flu was upon me…..
For the next 4 days (I think it was 4 days - it is still all a little bit fuzzy) the flu completely took over my life. Every pore in my skin hurt; every bone in my body hurt; coughing; sneezing; - well at some point you have had the flu and you know what I am talking about.
The doctor says, “Don’t come into the office” which was smart on her part since there are sick people there…. and pretty much she said (I like my Dr she is very practical!) “You can take some meds and it will last 7 - 10 days or you can not take meds and rest and drink fluids and it will last for 7 - 10 days”. Any kind of flu/cold medicine makes me feel worse than the above mentioned flu so I opted for the sleep and fluids.
It is just amazing how the flu takes over your life. There is nothing you do that is not flu related; the food you are able to tolerate; the drink you constantly crave; the comfortable place you find to lay; the lack of communication with the world around you or with other people; even the bed clothes you wear since everything that touches your skin hurts… for 7 - 10 days all of your thoughts and actions (or more likely lack of action) are centered in flu. I realized that I decided I was actually beginning to get better when I began to be able to think about things other than this flu that had wracked by body….
Bet you never thought of God as the flu…But think about it. What God wants is to so take over our lives that we think of nothing else.
Maybe we can think of God as the flip side of the flu - as bad as the flu makes you feel, God makes you feel equally good!
So just like your life with the flu where you think of nothing else but how ucky you feel, life with God is where you think of nothing else but how wonderful your life is in God. Just like with the flu you think of nothing else but the flu, life with God should be such so that we think of nothing else but God as the focus of your life.
And even though at some point this flu will eventually be gone, I am thankful that my life with God never will!
Amen!
It was about two weeks ago. I had Wednesday night Bible Study just as I always do. It had been a pretty productive day and I had even been able to work ahead a little bit - always a plus since in this pastoring business you truly never know what might happen next. A phone call can rush you out the door at a moments notice and while you are glad to be available there is always that little voice in the back of your head going, “Did I get (fill in the blank) done?” So anytime you can work a head a little bit it is a good thing!
So Bible Study went well - my two Bible Studies are pretty much my favorite times during the week! I go home after Bible Study was over, do the Wednesday night chores I always do and after the news (it is imperative one keeps up with the crime in Charlotte……) I went to bed. All was well it seemed - just as normal as it always is which is the way I like it!
The next morning I wake up, felt a little tireder than usual but I’m getting old and it is not that unusual to feel tired in the morning - this getting old thing is not for the sissy…..
Anyway, it was Thursday so the routine is to go over to the church and get the bulletins copied and inserts made so that my faithful bulletin folder/stuffers can come by and fold and stuff the bulletins in preparation for Sunday morning - what a great help this people are!
So the bulletins are copied and the inserts are copied and chopped in half and everything is laid out and I kind of notice as I’m doing this that there is a little headache creeping up from the back of my head and my chest is a little tight but again I’m thinking it is just the old thing and didn’t pay much attention as my nose begins to fill up and my back starts to get a little achy and well it is about lunch time so I figure it is a good time to go home and eat some lunch and I can finish the odds and ends I need go do before I go off on my normal Thursday afternoon visiting…..
I had my normal peanut butter sandwich but it seemed like it took me forever to eat it and I didn’t even want any potato chips to go with it (a true sign of Armageddon) and then I said to my husband, “You know, I don’t do this very often but I think I’ll take a short nap after lunch…” He looked at my like I was from Mars but he chimed in “You do look a little pale….” Thanks......
So to my recliner I go and about 3 o’clock he gently nudges me and inquired if I was still alive and it was apparent at that point as I groaned loudly that the dreaded flu was upon me…..
For the next 4 days (I think it was 4 days - it is still all a little bit fuzzy) the flu completely took over my life. Every pore in my skin hurt; every bone in my body hurt; coughing; sneezing; - well at some point you have had the flu and you know what I am talking about.
The doctor says, “Don’t come into the office” which was smart on her part since there are sick people there…. and pretty much she said (I like my Dr she is very practical!) “You can take some meds and it will last 7 - 10 days or you can not take meds and rest and drink fluids and it will last for 7 - 10 days”. Any kind of flu/cold medicine makes me feel worse than the above mentioned flu so I opted for the sleep and fluids.
It is just amazing how the flu takes over your life. There is nothing you do that is not flu related; the food you are able to tolerate; the drink you constantly crave; the comfortable place you find to lay; the lack of communication with the world around you or with other people; even the bed clothes you wear since everything that touches your skin hurts… for 7 - 10 days all of your thoughts and actions (or more likely lack of action) are centered in flu. I realized that I decided I was actually beginning to get better when I began to be able to think about things other than this flu that had wracked by body….
Bet you never thought of God as the flu…But think about it. What God wants is to so take over our lives that we think of nothing else.
Maybe we can think of God as the flip side of the flu - as bad as the flu makes you feel, God makes you feel equally good!
So just like your life with the flu where you think of nothing else but how ucky you feel, life with God is where you think of nothing else but how wonderful your life is in God. Just like with the flu you think of nothing else but the flu, life with God should be such so that we think of nothing else but God as the focus of your life.
And even though at some point this flu will eventually be gone, I am thankful that my life with God never will!
Amen!