I dedicate this one to my week of bad luck/health.
*Bonus points to those who know where the title came from without looking it up.*
Have you ever been sick or injured in a place far from the comforts of home? It sucks. I still remember the first time I got sick in college while living in the dorms. I had been living on that "freedom from the parents" high for a few months and then the dorm germs got me. It wiped me out physically, and emotionally I suddenly was incredibly homesick. All I wanted was to curl up on my parents couch and have some chicken noodle soup. But instead I laid around on my twin bed dreading the fact I had to go the the cafeteria to get my food.
This memory came back to me this week. It's not my parents couch I long for now but my own couch and home.
Last week I tried my hand at that Insanity class. Insane is an understatement. This 40 minute workout would kick my butt if I were in Oregon, but here at 5-thousand feet, forget about it. 15 minutes in I was dripping with sweat, leaning against the wall, and wishing someone had an oxygen tank for me so I wouldn't die at 33. Imagine pushing yourself to the extreme (sprint speed) and only being able to take half breaths. My worst enemy was myself, as my pride kept telling me that "Yes this is hard, but you could totally keep up back home." Well, there's a reason God hates pride... because pride hates us and causes us to be complete idiots, forsaking all common sense and wisdom. Either way, my pride pushed me too far and jump started what I believe was a 24-hour flu waiting in the shadows. You see, pride doesn't just hate me, but my stomach full of lunch hated me for listening to my pride. In this case the enemy of my enemy was certainly *not* my friend. I won't go into all the gory details of the next few hours, but let me just say God helped me overcome my pride in and put me in a "kneeling" posture. I think the worst part was trying to figure out where and how to relieve the angry beast in the depths of my stomach. Anyone whose been sick to their stomach knows it's not something you want others to watch you doing... and you have to be selective about the receptacle you use.
I had two options for restrooms. A porta-potty or an "indoor" bathroom. Here's what the "indoor" bathroom looks like. Neither were going to work and the whole time I was wishing I could be at home feeling icky. The winning decision ended up being a trash can. So there I was curled up doing a contorted bow to the trash can in-between two air conditioning units along side our office building. It was dusty, loud, and my knees hurt from the gravel, but it was the most privacy I could find. The one thing I found comforting in all of this was praying for it all to just end. Have you ever been at that point? That feeling of complete humility and disparity mixing into a perfect revelation that you aren't in control?
Putting aside the disturbing images or perhaps laughs at my expense you just experienced, there's one thing I discovered during this ordeal. Even though I could hardly walk, think or function in general - one thing was crystal clear - I prayed to God and I felt comfort from it. My desire to be in the comfort of my home even slipped away and was replace with my pleadings to make it all end. I found that my true home, where all sickness and injury find reprieve, is with God and nothing makes that clearer than a good dose of illness. It's in our darkest; hardest trials that we learn to focus and depend on something greater than ourselves.
So next time you squeeze and pull and hurt your neck - know that is a time to focus and grow.
oh yeah... I am now on day two of a cold, so I guess I didn't focus enough.
*Bonus points to those who know where the title came from without looking it up.*
Have you ever been sick or injured in a place far from the comforts of home? It sucks. I still remember the first time I got sick in college while living in the dorms. I had been living on that "freedom from the parents" high for a few months and then the dorm germs got me. It wiped me out physically, and emotionally I suddenly was incredibly homesick. All I wanted was to curl up on my parents couch and have some chicken noodle soup. But instead I laid around on my twin bed dreading the fact I had to go the the cafeteria to get my food.
This memory came back to me this week. It's not my parents couch I long for now but my own couch and home.
I had two options for restrooms. A porta-potty or an "indoor" bathroom. Here's what the "indoor" bathroom looks like. Neither were going to work and the whole time I was wishing I could be at home feeling icky. The winning decision ended up being a trash can. So there I was curled up doing a contorted bow to the trash can in-between two air conditioning units along side our office building. It was dusty, loud, and my knees hurt from the gravel, but it was the most privacy I could find. The one thing I found comforting in all of this was praying for it all to just end. Have you ever been at that point? That feeling of complete humility and disparity mixing into a perfect revelation that you aren't in control?Putting aside the disturbing images or perhaps laughs at my expense you just experienced, there's one thing I discovered during this ordeal. Even though I could hardly walk, think or function in general - one thing was crystal clear - I prayed to God and I felt comfort from it. My desire to be in the comfort of my home even slipped away and was replace with my pleadings to make it all end. I found that my true home, where all sickness and injury find reprieve, is with God and nothing makes that clearer than a good dose of illness. It's in our darkest; hardest trials that we learn to focus and depend on something greater than ourselves.
So next time you squeeze and pull and hurt your neck - know that is a time to focus and grow.
oh yeah... I am now on day two of a cold, so I guess I didn't focus enough.
When I deployed I got an incredibly bad case of food poisoning. I had a 105.6 degree fever and the medical center called in the chaplain. I feel ya, dude. Glad you are at least past that part of it.
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