In sickness and in health

Oh, wow, I'm very sick. You know how it is: your little one gets a cold, nothing big, just a little cough. But then, he preciously passes it on to you and the cold morphs into a sinister, devious illness. You can hardly breathe, your eyes wont open and they burn, your head feels a few pounds heavier, your throat hurts and your body aches. There's no way to concentrate on the tasks at hand, words do not make sense and you even forget how to spell. You just want to go home and sleep for a week because, let's face it, you only understand half of what people tell you, a third of what you see on tv and a fraction of what you read. That's how I feel today.

But there is something very important that I can't forget, that I will not allow myself to let fall through the cracks, and it is this: Jesus' sacrifice for me. Literally, for me. He came, He lived among us (well, you know, among the people in that time), He perfectly obeyed God's law and redemption plan with me in mind. We're not talking about a random act of love: we are talking about a specific action geared toward someone in particular. We are talking about Jesus laying his life for my sake, to save me. I am talking about God loving me, although I didn't love Him, since before I was born; loving me so much He gave His Son, His only Son, to live a life of perfect obedience for me (because He knew well that I couldn't do it), in my place, and to die taking my punishment so that I could be forgiven and to rise from the dead so that I could live forever with Him. He did all that with me in mind. What about you?

Trust in God and do not lean on your own understanding. Get to know Him, and appreciate all He has done for you: the life you have, the family and friends that surround you, your health, your strength, and everything else. God is in control of all things, which means that, although we fail to acknowledge Him, He is still working things out to forward His plan for our lives. Everything we have is because of Him and for Him.

I am grateful for what God has done for me through Jesus, and how He, through his Holy Spirit, strengthens me even in the midst of this awful cold. To Him be the glory.