Just What the Doctor Ordered

I don’t know what to write about for this week. In spite of the positive stuff happening in my life – the “I can” stuff – today I feel less than enthusiastic. I’ve been sick with a virus since last Thursday. This cold, or flu, or whatever it is, has prevented me from participating in my regular things and one special thing. The required isolation has kept me from interacting with people. I had to cancel getting together with a friend, going to a long-awaited concert, meeting up with our regular Saturday night friends, going to church, and I had to stay home today instead of going to the coffee shop.

Down time. It is uncomfortable to sit around and do nothing . . . or not doing what I had planned. Inactivity seems wrong or bad or wasteful or something, but doctors tell us that resting is part of the healing process. So I am doing something. I am doing exactly what doctors tell us to do.

There has been a lot of time to think although it has been hard to stay focused some of the time due to the coughing, headache, fever, and fatigue. I set attainable goals each day: read a little, write some, read some more, and take a nap before my family gets home. I have managed to prepare dinner and do some laundry.

Not very creative. Just doing the minimum. But doing exactly what the doctor ordered. I’m okay with that. I am not always tolerant with myself when I’m doing “nothing.” I’m afraid this “laying around” will become a habit and the good habits I’m trying to develop or maintain will not survive. It happened before. Many times when I get “off-schedule,” it is hard to get back on track. With my new “I can” philosophy I can recognize the potential hazard and plan for it. One thing I’m doing as I begin to feel better is adding some (feeling) ALIVE activities back into my routine, one at a time. The goal is to be doing all the ALIVE things and working on some of the THRIVE things by the time I am “well” again.

Today I can accept this down time as a chance to heal, rest, think, and trust God. Today I can feel good about taking care of myself. I can feel at peace knowing I’m doing just what the doctors order.

My God; David's God

Higher Power. Don’t leave. I know that those two words (Higher Power) invokes many thoughts and feelings, some that could cause some of you to run the other way. That is a first reaction to anything god-sounding. Thinking about something bigger than us is hard to do. Yet most of us feel a sense of longing for something “more.” Can there be something/someone big enough to take care of all the things for which we are powerless? King David talks about that kind of Higher Power (who he chose to call God.)

“God's love is meteoric,

his loyalty astronomic,

His purpose titanic,

his verdicts oceanic.

Yet in his largeness

nothing gets lost;

Not a man, not a mouse,

slips through the cracks.”[1]

I hope [desire with expectation of obtainment; expect with confidence and trust.”][2] David’s God exists. I repeat David’s words and let other words come to me as I try to understand David’s God:

"Your largeness is beyond my ability to comprehend. You are so big . . . it is like not being able to truly understand what a billion is -- or even a million. And You are much, much, infinitely more than a billion, than a trillion, than a quadrillion, and even beyond a googolplex. BIG. And You choose to love us in spite of who we are and/or what we do. You are faithful and trustworthy. You will do as You promised. You are the only One God, who is active in Your creation -- of course that is because You are the only true God. You are able -- abundantly able -- to provide for and protect us. We cannot be lost because You see us. You see everything including a mouse, and also the tiniest of Your creations, as small as a mustard seed.

I praise You just because You desire to love us and be a friend to us, and care for our every need. You know what I need before I do. You are our hope and we can count on Your love, care, salvation, provision, protection, patience, acceptance, steadfastness, perseverance (in calling out to us by the power of the Holy Spirit), and so much more than I have words to express.

Praise You. Almighty God. Lord of heaven and earth. Master of everything. Praise You!!!"

David’s God is tremendously bigger than I can understand. If this God exists (and I believe David’s God does), awe and honor is appropriate. So, Praise God!!

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[1] Taken from The Message. Copyright � 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

[2] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/