After escaping it for over two years, I finally tested positive for Covid. As the hours and days rolled by, it felt like someone was suctioning the strength from my body. Thank God I didn’t have any life-threatening issues, but there was intense ear and throat pain… and cell-deep fatigue.
With both my husband and I down with the virus, our bedroom started to smell “sick.” As Will and I removed all the bedding to wash it, I had an epiphany- let’s open the window!
Moments later, I was sandwiched between clean sheets and under a fresh quilt. Through the open window, birdsong and breezes off the Sound filtered in, lawn mowers roared into my thoughts, and I felt totally sick… and completely content. It was life flowing into my bedroom.
Gratitude rose up like the tide in my heart. A bowl of buttered noodles tasted like a gourmet dinner. A pot of Vicks smelled better than a bottle of expensive perfume. A fresh cup of club soda over ice was more refreshing than a dip in the ocean.
Days into my illness, I finally accepted Will’s invitation to sit outside in our backyard. I had a thin sweater on and the strong April wind both chilled and filled me with strength. I let the sunshine do its work, and it felt medicinal. The rays on my face were more restorative than any spa treatment.
Sitting outside, eyes closed and my slippered feet on our dirty patio table, I thought of something Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote:
“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat. In our mad rush for progress and modern improvements let’s be sure we take along with us all the old-fashioned things worthwhile.”
Perhaps today you’re not battling the effects of Covid, but perhaps you are weary or dry spiritually. May I encourage you to embrace the simplest things… the buttered noodles and the clean sheets of life?
If you’re busy and feel like you can’t stop, may I encourage you to sit in the sunshine and allow the spring air to rejuvenate you?
God does some of His best work in us when you and I choose to be still. When you feel the sun on your face and let the birds sing all around you, the wind up toy inside peters out. And God’s still small voice sounds clearer and closer.
“Be still, and know that I am God!” ~Psalm 46:10
First the command and then the blessing: Be still… and know. There is so much we don’t understand, but knowing He is God sweeps away the cobwebs of mental fatigue. It’s the foundation for a healthier outlook on everything.
I wouldn’t have chosen to have a week of my life vacuumed away, but as often happens in God’s economy, I have gained something too: I have a more grateful spirit and a quieter heart. God is good.
