For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13-14)

In my teens and twenties, about the time I was going through my “body image issues” (starving, binging, and self-loathing), I had a related problem: I seemed to be perpetually sick, especially from October to April. A day or two of allergy symptoms would escalate into a full-blown cold – a nasty cold with all the symptoms, keeping me out of school for 2-3 days, followed by about a week of feeling run-down and sick-ish but going to school anyway, because “You can’t miss any more school!” followed by a week or so of feeling OK, then the cycle would start all over, with This is probably just an allergy … isn’t it?

During those years there would be times in the wee hours of the morning when the rest of the family was enviably sound asleep, while my head was pounding with sinus pressure, sore nose throbbing, throat burning. I would lie in the dark, thinking, If this is the way my life is going to be from now on, I think I’d rather not …

Somewhere in my twenties or early thirties I became more and more aware of this thing called an immune system, and I did all the research I could to see if there was any way I could help mine. Of course my eating disorder had been steadily taking its toll on my health (Gee, ya think??), and the biggest step towards good health was when God graciously delivered me from that personal demon. (I still plan to write about that journey in more detail in a future piece.) Over the years I learned about balanced nutrition (No, the crash diets weren’t cutting it.), the right supplements (No, Vitamin C wasn’t the “magic bullet.” I needed more.), the importance of sufficient sleep, regular exercise, and staying hydrated. Thankfully I had never taken up smoking, loving singing the way I did, and I wasn’t a drinker, for fear I’d be even more out of control than I already was. But I still had to learn to make better choices than junk food, avoid sugar, and choose water over diet soft drinks.

In spite of needing regular allergy shots and sinus surgery, my health did improve over the years, and in the fall of 2019 I seemed to have found the final “missing piece” – probiotics. I sheepishly told my doctor I had bought into an infomercial for a probiotic that said 70% of the immune system is in the gut, and to my surprise, she said, “Oh, that’s true.” (confirming the connection with the eating disorder) With that revelation I started taking the probiotic first thing in the morning, along with practicing the other healthy lifestyle choices, and for the first time in six decades, I went a whole year without a single cold or sinus infection!

The first thing to hit me in 2020 was Covid, which I came down with in late November. Although it brought back some unpleasant memories, it wasn’t horrible (unlike all the viruses I got as a young person) and lasted just a few days. I did quarantine for two weeks, and although Thanksgiving Day I couldn’t smell or taste anything, my husband, who also had Covid, didn’t feel like eating anyway. So, instead of cooking all day, I relaxed with him and spent Thanksgiving … well … giving thanks. (I think that’s the point anyway, right?)

So why am I telling you all this? Because the CDC isn’t exactly highlighting this kind of information. For the past year all we’ve heard is wear-a-mask!-stay-home!-wash-your-hands!-socially-distance! … ad nauseum. We’ve been terrorized by the nightly news with daily stats on new cases and deaths, but not the 45 million Americans that have had the virus and recovered. Ironically, fear, stress, rage, and the related loss of sleep has a devastating effect on the immune system.

One day just out of curiosity I visited the CDC website and did a search for “Maintaining a Healthy Immune System.” My search turned up 350 results, all articles with the words “maintaining” (about maintaining social distance), “immune” (about vaccines), or “system” (as in “health care system”). I found nothing about keeping our bodies strong enough to fight off disease. Later my son told me to try “maintaining a healthy immune + system.” I tried a few searches adding a “+” and found there were thousands of articles. With some digging I was able to find mention of healthy eating, sleep, etc. But as far as Covid, avoidance was definitely front and center. I have yet to hear on the news about any proactive steps we can take to strengthen our resistance naturally. Just fear-fear-FEAR.

Am I saying we don’t need to do anything to avoid viruses? Not at all. This doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. Sure, wash your hands (Are there really people who don’t?) and use hand sanitizer. Cough into your sleeve, and stay home if you’re sick. (In other words, practice common courtesy -and common sense!) Avoid crowds if you get sick easily, and – my personal flu season recommendation – carry your own pen. (Make it a cheap one, so if anyone asks to borrow it you can tell them to keep it.) Just know that viruses are the tiniest living things known to man, and they’re virtually everywhere. This is why our loving Creator built a system of defense into our bodies.

It’s not that we have to choose between minimizing exposure to illnesses and arming ourselves against them. Why not do both? Our bodies are gifts from God, but we are stewards of those gifts. He has made us partners with Him, and I believe He wants us to be responsible for what we can do to stay healthy and strong, while He takes care of the rest – the things that are out of our control.

As for “divine perspective,” there is a spiritual parallel to this, which I’ll deal with next time.

Prayer: Lord, we know it was Your creative genius that formed our bodies. While we don’t take a single breath without Your enabling us, You have called us to care for Your creation, including ourselves. We want to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, set apart for Your service. Show us how to keep these vessels strong, healthy, and able to serve You for as long as You would have us on this earth, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. (Psalm 18:16)

Faith-based movies are getting better.

A while back it was hard even to find a film that was clean and decent, much less one that was well done and had a Christian world view. I remember years ago I was in a Christian book store when a lady was asking if anyone had seen the movie she was thinking of buying. I had seen it, but hesitated to give my opinion, since my opinion was, It was poorly written, poorly directed, and poorly acted, but other than that it was great. (I have a theater degree with a major in directing, so admittedly I can be a bit harsh.) Fortunately before I got cornered, another woman gushed, “Oh, it was wonderful!” I guess opinions differ.

Since then I’ve seen some faith-based films I would call wonderful, and they seem to be coming more frequently. I think that for a while Hollywood got the idea that making movies that appealed to Christians was not profitable, probably due to the church people who said all Hollywood movies were from the pit of hell and swore they’d never go to one. (You know who you are.)

But when Mel Gibson recommitted his life to Christ and decided to produce a movie showing “the wounds that healed my wounds,” The Passion of the Christ was proof that a faith-based film could be successful and that Christians didn’t need to be afraid of tackling the stark realities of evil and pain in a fallen world.

What I’m liking best about the movies being produced now is their honesty. Christian movies of the past used to present the believers as the “good guys” and the unbelievers as the “bad guys.” But more recent films are showing the truth about Christians – that we are human, too, and can be just as flawed as the unbelievers, maybe more. Case in point: Breakthrough.

This movie tells the true story (my favorite kind) of a teenager named Josh who broke through the ice, was submerged for 15 minutes, then without a pulse for more than 45 minutes (i.e. clinically dead).

[Spoiler Alert] What happened to this boy was what the doctors called a miracle, but the real miracle (breakthrough) was the transformation in the two main characters.

At the beginning of the story Josh (Topher Grace) is in many ways a typical teenager, growing increasingly unresponsive to his mother’s attempts to connect with him. (Every time the kid rolled his eyes and muttered “Whatever,” I wanted to slap him.)

The mom (Chrissy Metz – This Is Us) has her own issues. She isn’t happy with the new pastor – she doesn’t like his hair, his style of preaching, or the new music he’s brought into the church to appeal to the youth. Her comments are negative, and in many instances downright rude. Seeing the mom and the young pastor interact made me cringe. It also made me laugh. Yep, Christians can be opinionated and unreasonable. (Please don’t ask me how I know…)

Later in the story, under the stress of her son’s life-threatening situation, the mom becomes even more difficult to deal with; she seems angry with everyone. When others freely give their negative prognosis in front of the comatose boy, it was hard to watch the mom’s irate (albeit understandable) lashing out at them, and that rage spilling over onto others.

The father’s unwillingness to go into his son’s hospital room (“It’s hard … “) made me want to drag him there, whether he wanted to be there or not. (This isn’t about you, buddy.)

There were several “God moments” that made me want to cheer, and they weren’t just when Josh wakes up – although that was amazing, too. One of the most poignant scenes is when a flock of friends gathers outside the hospital, holding candles and singing to Josh. Though he’s still in a coma, a single tear trickles down the face of this once cocky, aloof kid, who used to think no one cared about him.

Soon after, the mother’s apology to the pastor and her explanation of why she’s such a “control freak” makes sense of the previous scenes, and her final surrender of her will to God on the roof of the hospital is the turning point of the movie – the real breakthrough.

The story doesn’t end with everything making sense and everyone living happily ever after. Very real questions arise, such as “Why did you get a miracle, but my mom is still dying?” Josh has no pat answers. (And Mom still wants to fix the pastor’s hair.)

Breakthrough doesn’t put God in a box. It is a true story of people who got a glimpse of God’s providence, but there are still things He does that we don’t understand – such as using an atheist to rescue Josh from the frigid water – and in this life there always will be.

Bottom line: Breakthrough is, in my not-so-humble opinion, a well-written, well-directed, well-acted, faith-based movie definitely worth seeing. Far from some of the sappy, humorless, unrealistic films of the past, with one-dimensional characters, this is a story many of us will relate to, with real people and their cringeworthy reactions to life. Enjoy it with the family one of these cold January days. (It’s available on Amazon Prime.)

And to all Christian film-makers out there: You are appreciated! Keep them coming! And keep them real.

Prayer: Lord God, each of us has our quirks and flaws, and yet You are so patient with us. Thank You that we don’t have to be perfect for You to love us and do a work in our lives. Thanks You for the miracles You are doing in our time as well as two thousand years ago. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.

To write the same things again is no trouble for me, and it is a safeguard for you.  (Philippians 3:1)

My sister and I are off on another “adventure” for the first time in over a year. I will not be reading as many of your blogs while I’m away. (I don’t even know if I will have internet access.) And I may not have time to do much writing. But I found a blog from one of our past trips that I believe is worth repeating, for fun and for some serious consideration. It’s a post regarding “last words.”

Enjoy! 🙂

https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2019/07/05/famous-last-words/

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the opportunity to see Susie again, and a chance to enjoy some of the beautiful world You have created. I trust You for a safe trip and to guide our conversations. Invade our minds with what You want to say to us, and help us not only to hear but to heed, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (I Peter 3:15b)

Hello? …

Oh, hello, ___________. Yes, I tested positive for Covid two weeks ago. Yes, I was sick for a few days. It wasn’t fun, but to be honest, I’ve had colds that were much worse.

Well, I could tell you where I’ve been lately and what I’ve been doing, but it wouldn’t be very interesting. I will tell you, though…

I am going to die.

You‘re going to die, too.

Will we die today? Probably not. – But we might.

Will we die of Covid? Probably not. – But we might.

The question isn’t “Are we going to die?” – We are. The real question is, “Then what?“

And then comes eternity. Eternity is a lot longer than this life, which is maybe 70 years, maybe 80, maybe 100 if we’re incredibly lucky.

The question isn’t so much “Where have I been?” but “Where am I going?”

The important thing isn’t “Who have I been with and what have I been doing?” but “Who am I spending the next life with, and what will I be doing there?”

There are only two places people spend eternity – in the presence of Jesus, or away from Him, alone forever. We can be worshiping the One who loved us enough to die for us and basking in His glory – or weeping and gnashing our teeth. I know I’m going to the first place, what about you?

… I suppose I am getting off the subject.

Yes, my husband and I followed the CDC guidelines. We stayed socially distanced, wore masks whenever required to, kept our hands clean, and avoided crowds. We’ve been home most of the time, in fact. And we got Covid anyway.

One thing I haven’t done, though, is be scared, and I think that has helped me stay healthy. Stress is arguably the worst drain on the immune system, don’t you think? Lately the fear the news has fed us night and day have many of us stressed out, possibly more than we have ever been before. We finally just turned it off, and I think that has had a lot to do with our speedy recovery.

But here’s my main source of peace: I don’t believe I’m leaving this world one moment before God is ready to call me home, and when He does, I’m not going to hang around here one moment longer than I have to! That pretty much eliminates most fear-based stress, so I’ve been sleeping remarkably well. – And adequate sleep is crucial for a healthy immune system, too, don’t you think?

Yes, I’ve stayed quarantined since my diagnosis. Spending extra time with Jesus, and it’s been so sweet. Do you know Him? [pause] Would you like to know Him? He wants you to. He loves you!

Do you have a Bible? I’d be happy to give you one. (I believe you have my address.) I could leave you one on our porch. – Don’t worry, I won’t even open my door.

… You do have a Bible? Great! I have a suggestion: Tonight look up the third chapter of the gospel of John – That’s John Chapter 3 – and read it carefully. (Or you can Google “John 3” and read it on line.) It will tell you what to do to be saved. Then you can be sure when your time comes – whether that’s today or in fifty years – you’ll be spending the rest of eternity in a good place. And I hope I see you there.

It was nice meeting you, ___________. – Don’t forget, John 3.

Thanks for calling.

Prayer: Lord, I pray for ___________ (You know her name.). I pray that she remembers what You said through me, and that she’ll forget anything that may have come just from me. I pray that You will lead her to read John 3, or any other passage You lead her to, and open her eyes to the truth of the gospel. Invade her mind with the thoughts that will lead her to surrendering her life to You – so that You can give her eternal life! In Jesus’ name, Amen.