14th day of Lent

I have one of those coughs that just will not quit. It is lingering into the end of week two, and looks like it has momentum to swing forth into week three. My physician says I’m fine. He says “this stuff is everywhere in our community.” So I’m tongue-red from cough drops and nose-red from Kleenex. I’m just a participant in the greater community of germs being shared in a generous manner these days.

Life is full of nagging things. None of us are exempt from such inconveniences and aggravations. Therefore, the question for me is: how will I respond to such unwelcome guests? Will I give into them and let misery be the rule of the day? Or will I rise above them and grab as much life as I can from the day at hand? Granted there will be days when I must surrender and allow my body to rest so that I can regain health. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about these kinds of days - the days that are full of coughs and sniffles but no fever or aches of body. I’m talking about those nagging injuries that do not put me in a cast or splint but only make me limp and flinch ever so slightly.

In sports there is a phrase often spoken - “playing through an injury.” This is the idea I reflect on today. Can I play through the minor injuries of life? Or will I give them more power than they warrant? I suspect that while this may seem to be only about the body that it is also about the soul. The health of my soul has a direct impact on the health of my body. The posture of my soul has an impact on the level of my tenacity when things are less than perfect in body. If I have strength of soul, it seems to me that that gives me strength for body when weakness creeps in.

Lord, strengthen my soul. Continue to help me understand that You are a God of body, soul, and mind. You are not only a Holy God, but You are also a God of wholistic health. Continue to show me where there may be any sniffles in my soul.