Carol J German

It is not fun being sick, but it can be a blessed time. You may be thinking, “Carol, what are you talking about? How can you say that?” Well, in the past month, I got a sty on my eye, then a sinus cold, and after getting better from those two things, I came down with another cold a week ago which turned into bronchitis. I am still recovering.

Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with being sick again, this time with a chest cough. You can’t sleep when you have a cough. While keeping my wits about me that I need to slow down (once again) and take care of myself, something wonderful has happened, God showed up to remind me that His Presence is all I need.

Every single one of us needs to be reminded of this truth.

God will allow you to experience some sort of affliction to get you to stop what you are doing so He can refocus you; an illness is an effective way to get you to stop. Psalm 119:71 says, “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to Your decrees.”

While resting and healing, God has shown up. It’s quite interesting that I can say, “Thank you, Lord, for bronchitis. Thank you for slowing me down to see more of YOU. Lord, You truly work in the most unusual ways. I needed a deep filling, a realignment of my heart, soul, and mind. You know me well Lord. You care for me way more than I realize.”

When you have more down time, God can speak more clearly to you. The question is, do you listen? Do you allow yourself to use the down time God is offering and focus on Him, or do ignore Him and fill your time with lesser things?

Often times, God needs to stop you, for while you think you are walking with God, you have simply become like the Arar bush that is found in the desert. On the outside it is beautiful and bears fruit. It remains lush and green despite the harsh desert terrain. But, open up one of its fruit and it is nothing but hot air, dust, and a poisonous webbing around the seed. It is unusable to God. What looks alive on the outside is actually hollow on the inside.

“The most dangerous spiritual condition isn’t obvious rebellion, it is beautiful emptiness.” (by @aussiedave on Instagram)

While I hadn’t walked away from God, God knew I needed some down time to refocus. It is so easy to be busy with godly things that His presence gets pushed out of the way. Can you relate? While hanging at home sipping my warm coffee to quiet my cough, taking my medicine, and resting, God moved in close. What could have been a very restless week or so, I found myself content and peaceful in my quieter days. I discovered a new author, thanks to my daughter-in-law 😉 In Jen Wilkin’s book, “You are a Theologian,” God has been refocusing me back on who He is as He continues to lead me deeper into trusting Him. He is reminding me of simple truths that heal spiritually, mentally, and physically. God has me studying Genesis. “Carol, I want you to be reminded of how life began and how I AM in control.” He is good at bringing me back to the simple things, the things that matter eternally.

Oh Lord, you care and understand me way more than I realize. Wow!

When God is beckoning for your undivided attention, pay attention! Healing needs to take place. You may not have bronchitis, but you do have something that is either physical, mental, or spiritual. He is beckoning you to sit with Jesus at His feet (be a Mary and not a Martha). You need His hand and teachings upon you daily.

God made you to work, yes, AND rest! You are not made to go 24/7 non-stop. God is of order, and your days must follow suit. You cannot handle the demands of life without God. God the Father gave you (and I) God the Son to model our lives after. He lived a balanced life.

The big, audacious questions to ask: Will you let God refocus your faith or will you ignore His life-giving advice? Will you allow God the Holy Spirit to move you from looking spiritual to living spiritually in the presence of the Living God? Are you available to go deeper with Christ or have you had enough? Are you telling God, “This is as far as I am going with you.”

God takes His children on journeys that lead to dependence on Christ alone rather than living independently; thus becoming like the fruit of the Arar bush. When God puts a kink in your way to slow you down, like an illness, don’t just ignore it and forge ahead with your plans, stop and allow your body to heal physically, mentally, and spiritually. God knows that you need to get rebalanced. Stop and allow Him to breathe fresh life back into your weary soul. Let your sickness become a blessed time.