Physician, Heal Thyself

Last week I encountered a coughing, sneezing, and wheezing Apple Store tech rep who was fixing my dead iPhone. He obviously was ill...retailers are not known for their generous sick day get paid policies. In order to get paid, I am sure that he has to show up.

But, he planted the seeds that got me sick. And, I am a customer who now has a considerably less favorable feeling about the store and probably subconsciously will not want to go back there anytime soon. Just like when you get food poisoning off of a burrito. It takes a while before it gets back in the food rotation. It wasn't only the Apple employee's fault. I was pushing myself at work, cutting calories, shoveling a lot of snow, not getting enough sleep, and consuming too much caffeine, too. All factors in my demise. I was downloading the Cold App by my behavior.

As a public school professional, I am allocated one paid sick day a month. Here is the kicker. In 20 years working, I have only used four days. In fact, today I didn't remember the process for calling in sick. School counselors don't gets subs.

But, I decided to shut down today and sleep. I think the body ratchets up its pleas for recuperative time. Ignore the initial indications--like I did--and a more serious response is issued. Maybe it is my maturity, maybe it is just old age, but I just didn't have it in me to fight it out ill today at work. The world can continue without me. I also did not want to get my co-workers and students sick.

Illness is God's way of knocking on the door of our lives and informing us of many lessons. Ye are mortal, frail, not as in control as you think, not as important as you believe, and death--sooner or later--will issue you into my presence. If we were always healthy, wealthy, and wise until God brought us to judgment by pulling the plug and vaporizing us--where we experienced no pain, premonition or warning--but just waited for the day unawares, we would first live in great fear but also unprepared for that day, having no experiences that enlightened us to our ultimate descent. Illnesses motivate us to find cures.

In thinking about the verse where the townie Nazarenes' get up in Jesus's face and basically ask him "Who in the hell do you think you are? Now you are some big shot in Capernaum and elsewhere. You too good for us now? Show us what you got, pal" Jesus reads their small minds and summarizes essentially they are saying to Him. "Physician, heal thyself." Like, what makes you so special dude?

When Jesus took on humanity He made Himself subject to the vagaries of the flesh, and yet was without sin. He put himself in a position to experience pain, suffering, and agony willingly and for our ultimate healing. And, to top it off, He was criticized and then ultimately killed for doing so. Talk about thankless...being thankless is the most dangerous disease a soul can contract.

I bet Jesus got colds....