Yep. It was true. I had the Ebola virus and I was going to die. However, if it wasn't Ebola, it was meningitis. If not meningitis, then it was appendicitis. If it wasn't appendicitis, it was another foreign illness I was going to die from. Okay, an exaggeration perhaps but sometimes when I get sick and no one I know has been, I forget the fact I take the bus almost daily and my mind goes crazy places. But alas, about a week and a half ago, I was sick. I mean, sick! I'll spare you the gory details but let's just say food was a no-no and a bucket was next to my bed for the whole day.
The worst part was that it wasn't a free day. In fact, it was a day of teaching, of preparing for outreach, and a love fest with amazing food, dressing up, and teaching! If I was to get sick, I would not have picked that particular day. Ever. Although, I had amazing roommates and housemates who prayed for me, made me toast, offered to make me other food, went to the corner shop and got me 7-Up, got me water and just checked on me in general. But still, being sick sucks.
In truth, I spent most of the morning frustrated with myself. I don't like being sick, I thought I was dying. I kept on looking up symptoms of the worst diseases. I feared my family would never see me again in this life. I hate not being able to do things for myself. I hate feeling weak. And I. Hate. To. Rest.
When one of my roommates asked me how long it had been since I really took a day to rest, I think I gave her a blank stare. Weekends are for doing what I want and keeping busy, right? But I had forgotten something important. God wants us to rest. I mean, yes, we can rest in him and enjoy his presence while we are busy but he's also pretty firm with the Sabbath rest thing as well. In other words, taking time and just being and really resting in God. I'm rubbish at it to be honest and I think God sometimes forces us to do just that. He forces us to rest. It's not that he wished me sick but rather he allowed the sickness to overtake me for a bit so that I would be forced to rest and not do a whole lot. In fact, I did nothing but pray for the entire afternoon and sleep.
One of the verses I had read a few mornings before my Ebola scare was Psalm 116:7 which says "Return, on my soul, to your rest for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you". But instead of resting, I said "Thank you, God", felt a peaceful feeling, and continued to be busy. The peace is great but I've learned that God is actually serious when he says rest. Sometimes that rest can be just resting in him but other times it means to physically rest. Not just at nighttime when you go to bed but actually take time to chill out. God has dealt bountifully with us so as a thank you back to him, why not take time just to rest in that and chill?
I admit I'm a bit thick to be honest, because God has allowed sickness to happen to me three times when it was absolutely inconvenient for me to be sick. But all three times, there's been a reminder; slow down. So I encourage you to slow down, chill, spend a whole day watching movies, reading a book or just being. God wants us to rest in him and take time to recharge. Often times we live in a society that is so Go-Go-Go, that we forget that sometimes God is only asking us to Rest-Rest-Rest. And as I've learned, if we don't do it on our own, sometimes we're forced to. So I'm slowly learning thanks to my Ebola-Meningitis-Appendix day, take time. Rest. Be with God and he will direct your path. He has blessed us so let us bless him in return with resting in that truth.
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