Profound Gratitude

....to take a sip of water without searing pain
...to lift one's head off the pillow freely
...to be able to sweep the floor, empty the litter box, and wash clothes--

all the gift of God, the blessing of health, a source of wonder!

Ordinarily, our daily chores are not a source of praise and thanksgiving--until we can no longer do them.  We take for granted the gift of pain-free eating and drinking -- until we can no longer do so.  But when the body shuts down, and we can do nothing for ourselves except endure unspeakable pain, we know the goodness of everyday events: getting out of bed in the morning, sipping a cup of coffee, taking a walk, seeing sky, earth, and water.  We even rejoice in our ability to prepare food, to do the laundry, and to sweep a floor.  Everything becomes a source of rejoicing and thanksgiving.

Spiritually, I think it's the same.  We take every gift for granted until we have lost it.  When we "slow down" spiritually even to the point of death, we are awaiting help from the outside.  We have lost all ability to 'save' ourselves, and God seems so far away that we are afraid even to pray.  In our blindness, we are sure that even if God exists, He has no interest in us, in our situation.  We believe that He is 'busy' with bigger things than our welfare -- too bad for us!

This past week, I endured a severe allergic reaction to some food.  My throat closed up, and the pain was greater than I can recall ever having--even after surgery.  I could not take medicine because the pain in my throat was too great to swallow even a sip of water.  For a week, I lay in bed listlessly, unable to do the least thing for myself.  Finally, my husband took me to the clinic, where I received two shots to combat the allergic reaction.  That night, for the first time in a week, I slept a full 3 hours without pain, and woke up feeling refreshed.  Then next day, although still in too much pain to eat or drink anything, I was able to get up and move around -- with a great deal of joy.  And today, though I still cannot speak, I am able at last to drink a cup of coffee again.  What a great gift!

Here's my point:  when I was unable to help myself, someone stepped in to 'save' me: my husband took me to the doctor, who did not think it beneath her dignity or a waste of her time to listen to me and bring her wisdom to bear on my illness.  Nor did she treat me as a 'sinner' because I had gotten myself in this situation and could do nothing to help myself afterwards.  She was gracious and kind and forgiving, even treating me with humor and genuine love.

If Jesus revealed anything at all to us, it was the kindness and mercy of God toward helpless sinners, those who are sick in soul.  He told us about the Father of the prodigal son; from the cross, He cried out, "Father, forgive them.......," the very thing the Father was anxious to do; He healed the sick of body and soul, and those in searing moral pain that prevented them from taking the least sip of healing water; He raised the dead to life again:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.....but because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:1-5).

 

Sin, by its very nature, alienates us from the Spirit of God, so that we are now afraid 'to go to the doctor seeking a cure for our ills.'  We think the doctor will not receive us because of our sin, or that he is too busy with more important things, or that he just won't care about our concerns.  But the criteria, according to Jesus, is that we are sick!  Until we reach that conclusion ourselves, we have no chance of being healed.  And to be healed is our source of greatest joy and profound gratitude!