health benefits

When I started my current job, almost a year ago, one of the first questions many people asked me was, "Does it have health benefits?" It was a strange question to my brain, having been on the mission field for almost a decade living off faith and donations. As I reentered the secular working world, I realized that many jobs include paid sick leave and some even include medical insurance....not all but some do, which is quite nice.

I know that is a bit of a random opening paragraph, but hang in there. You see out of nowhere yesterday flu snuck up on me and pounced. And it is a BAD flu. it felt like it had taken its icy cold hands and shoved razor blades down my throat whilst stuffing my nose full of congestion. I was fine one minute and the next I wasn't. Many people I know have spent a week in bed with this particular flu. I was not impressed and not wanting it to progress.

This morning I woke up, feeling much the same but with a fever and swollen glands to add to the list. You know when you feel awful but yet aren't quite sick enough to miss a day of work? That was how I felt. I dosed myself up on general over the counter meds and drank lots of rooibos tea with honey/fresh ginger/fresh lemon. By midday my glands were smaller and my throat wasn't sore. The fever, fatigue and congestion still need to work their way out of me, but on the whole I am bouncing back quite quickly.

I suddenly realized that in the last 3 years, despite all the stress of PTSD and depression, and travel and re-settling etc. My immune system has been very strong. I have picked up quite a few minor colds and flu type bugs but they never linger more than a week or so. Also they never develop to the point of needing to see a doctor or take an antibiotic. In 3 years I have taken an antibiotic once  and that was for a tooth abscess.  I am not against antibiotics, and can say if i showed any sign of needing them, or of infection i would not hesitate to take them, but I am also enjoying having an immune system that can fight back for itself.

You see years ago i suffered with Lupus, an autoimmune disease. I was permanently sick and on chronic meds and had no ability to fight off any disease because my body was too busy fighting itself. So to be in the place I am today, health wise is a miracle. In fact it is a literal miracle because I believe I was healed of Lupus. There has been no sign in my body and I have been off all medication since 2008.

My job might not have health benefits, but that is ok because My God is my healer.

Psalm 103 : 2-3 [The Voice translation]

O my soul, come, praise the Eternal;
    sing a song from a grateful heart;
    sing and never forget all the good He has done.
3 Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you.
    More than any doctor, He heals your diseases

In the NIV it says "forget not all His benefits". I know that sometimes people don't get healed, christian or non. And sometimes non Christians receive a miracle but don't become Christian, I can't explain the why or why not in healing. I can simply say that I am really grateful that I have experienced healing, and not by anything I did or because I deserved it more.

For those Christian's struggling and discouraged about healing, remember this body is your temporary earthen vessel, passing through. It has to pass away one day. But you are Christian, you are born again and have eternal life and that miracle far outweighs physical healing.

I read a quote once and it said, "Whoever said that a straightened hand was more dramatic than a healed heart anyway?"