Headaches and a Toilet Bowl

Headaches and a Toilet Bowl
Yes, it is exactly the picture that just shot through your mind. 5:30 am I woke up with a terrible headache. Stumbling through the house, I made it too the couch. I don’t know why I thought the couch would be better than being in bed. Maybe it let me groan without waking Rebecca. Porthos (my dog) placed his chin on the couch in sympathy. Thinking it was just a headache, I grabbed some ibuprofen and downed it with orange juice. Nope not just a headache, I hugged the toilet bowl, and for the next thirty minutes we became very intimate. Then I thought, “maybe it was because I didn’t get enough water the day before and was dehydrated.” I got some Gatorade from the pantry and drank a full glass. Nada, for the next hour, between the pain in my head and my stomach, I disposed of all of last nights dinner and more. I was cold, hot, sweaty and dry, all before 8:45 am, when the headache retreated to a safe distance, and my stomach felt like a knot but not nauseous; I could make it through church.

I made it (I suffered for Jesus), and it was well worth it. Listening to the testimony of Wally and Wanda, and three high school students who were baptized was such a blessing. There is nothing more vitalizing than to hear how God has been working in and through people’s lives. One of the girls read Romans 3:10,11 and explained how God used it to help her understand that she doesn’t have to measure up on her own, that Jesus paid the price so that she doesn’t. The other girl told how her community of students helped her get back on track, and all said their families were there to support them.

I have taken a very long nap this afternoon, still feeing weak and nauseous, but more than that I feel very blessed. It was worth going to church while feeling sick. It was a reminder of God’s faithfulness through the generations. I may, however, skip out of my meeting tonight. I’m just saying…