An Apple a Day

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you. III John 1:2

There are so many things in life we take for granted. One of the most important things is our health.

Each day I talk on the phone to my husband when he is gone, give instructions to my kids and sing them goodnight, until I find myself with a bad case of the flu and I have no voice, for several days.

We ride bikes, take hikes and walk the dogs until one day, I twist my ankle, pull a ligament or throw out my back just by getting up out of bed and I can't exercise like I'd like.

Some of these ailments can be healed with rest, time and a bottle of theraflu or advil. Others take longer to heal. We have friends whose daughter has had pneumonia and has been in the hospital for several days. We also have another dear friend who has been battling cancer, going through chemotherapy. What should we do when someone that you care about is sick? James 5:14 says, "Is anyone among you sick, call for the church leaders and have them pray for you." We are starting to see healing in this little girl's life because many people have banned together and are consistent in asking God for healing.

I often forget to thank God when everyone is healthy in my household. I don't forget to ask him for healing though when one of us comes down sick and then I pray that the rest don't receive the same thing. I think it is just as important to give Him praise when things are going well and everyone is feeling well, as it is to ask Him for healing when we can't overcome an ailment with modern medicine.

We can do our best to eat well, rest and exercise but in the end, an apple a day will not stop us from being hurt or sick.  I do believe that the greatest healer can only be found in Jesus. He has been healing the sick for many years. Sometimes He chooses to heal us completely here on earth, sometimes He allows us to endure sickness to provide others with compassion and empathy and other times it is only in the eternal that by taking someone home they receive eternal healing.