The Porcelain God

Yup, that's where I've been spending a bit of time lately: "worshiping the porcelain God." If you don't get the euphemism, good for you! If you do, then you know what the past few days have been like. Add to that the fact that our whole family had it, and you can see that things have not been fun around here. Our five year old has had it since Thursday and only today are we convinced she's recovered. Our two year old got it Friday and was fine Saturday, but then relapsed (if that's the word) on Sunday and again Monday. So we're still not sure whether he's over it or not.

What's most interesting to me, though- and what has led to this post- is what happened to my wife Beth and I. We both got it Sunday night, after leading worship that morning. Somehow, despite both our kids getting sick Thursday and Friday, we managed to avoid being overcome until after Sunday morning had passed. You see, there is absolutely no way either of us could have led worship once this bug hit. There wasn't an hour away from the 'porcelain God' to spend worshiping the real God. Yet somehow, the illness was stayed until after Sunday worship had passed.

Looking back, I realized that I have never missed a Sunday due to sickness. Ever. Other than some other work thing (such as a retreat or conference) or vacation, I have only missed three Sundays: two were for the birth of my children, and one was for the funeral of my grandmother. There have even been Sundays where I felt quite sick, yet while I was leading worship I felt fine. I remember one time I had a sore throat and could barely talk, yet when I stood up to preach my voice was clear as a bell. It just seems like God reaches out a protective and healing hand when I am sick and about to lead worship. It's an amazing witness to how God lifts us up to do the work to which we have been called.