Hanging up the Tights and Cape
Sometime last week, after contemplating the materials our congregation is studying as part of Life’s Healing Choices, I confessed to my husband that I have a problem with an overblown sense of responsibility, particularly regarding our household. I know that God is in control. All the same He hasn’t folded the towels lately. I told Rich that I was working on this problem and invited him to help me. And I prayed about it.
I never thought of germs as an answer to prayer.
The slightly scratchy throat I awoke with on Sunday morning had, by that afternoon, bloomed into a full-blown bout of general ickiness. Rich finished the laundry and did the weekly grocery shopping while I rested on the sofa, wrestling with a sense of malingering. Never mind that I had a nasty cough and a fever: there was work to be done. My work. And someone else was doing it.
On Wednesday I gave up and saw my doctor, who told me that this particular infection is robust and persistent. He told me to expect to be home and resting through the weekend.
Between naps I’ve had a lot of time to reflect. I’ve also had an opportunity to observe my family in action. Rich, with a hand from his daughter Rebecca, has prepared, served, and cleaned up after meals, cared for our pets, and tidied up around the house. He’s gone to the store to satisfy my bizarre illness-induced cravings. (Does anyone else hunger for Nacho Cheese Doritos when ill? Or is it just me?)
This unwelcome virus, in the course of interrupting my routine, has led me to one welcome, undeniable conclusion: God has surrounded me with capable hands. I don’t need to dash around like a superhero; I can yield any given task and others will stand in the gap. Our home has not deteriorated into a dump occupied by starvelings.
The towels even got folded.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all
circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
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