Under the Weather

The saying, "under the weather", seems a little misleading. It insinuates that you can somehow rise above the weather? I guess when you fly, you are somewhat above the weather, but it is never a permanent state. You always come back down.

Nonetheless, while the adage doesn't make that much sense, I am finding myself a little below the cumulus line today. Well below. I feel like crap.

Time magazine recently published an article about how belief can fend off sickness, "A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that faith may indeed bring us good health."

So this morning I spent some time praying that I would feel better, not because of the TIME article, but because I know prayer works. But I have to say there is something strange about praying for healing in this day and age. While I believe that God can heal me, it feels a little retrogressive. It's the whole chicken before the egg thing-

If God created medicine does that mean that when my doctor prescribes an antibiotic that he is acting as the healing hand of God, making the advancement of medicine a modern day miracle? Or does it just mean that my body is scientifically under siege, and no amount of prayer changes the fact that the medicine I need is sitting in the pharmacy and all I have to do is get a hall pass from the doc?

It's a cyclical argument.

Does God have nothing to do with it? Does he have everything to do with it? And why is science and faith in such opposition to each other? I like to think that I am an intelligent person, I believe in the validity of science and I believe in God.

I am not one of those fanatics that thinks God only acts in fireballs or world wide floods, but I do think he has power. I believe he has power to even heal my little head cold.

I believe that God has a hand in everything. But what about chaos and sickness? I think for the most part, sickness is an inevitable repercussion of that negligent hand washer (if this is you, stop it, and wash up sicko!), or perhaps because I followed the sneezy kid who used the McDonald's bathroom stall before me. Sickness is prevalent in every single square foot of human existence, as is healing, recovery, hope, faith, belief, and progress.

Perhaps the more pertinent question is why would God allow sickness at all?

It's an interesting dichotomy. I am sure it is most interesting to those who don't believe that God has anything to do with anything- people just get sick, they get better or they die- that's it. There is nothing to ponder, sickness if just a part of life, right? Or is everything we deal with in life a test of our faith which pushes us on to maturity in our suffering? I have struggled with this idea of a personal God who cares about my head cold for a couple of different reasons.

1) I feel that as an American twenty-something, I am privy to a social network that has promoted susceptibility to the cultural programming provided by media. Such thinking is housed beneath the faulty construction of interpersonal kingdoms built upon the theology of me-ism. A culture that is soaked in celebrity exploitation feeds directly into an acceptable idea of a personal Jesus.
Why wouldn't God want to be involved in my life, I mean come on, isn't it all about me? (Case in point: I am writing this blog because I am sick, so I think it applies to everyone...can we say, egocentric, but alas I keep on typing.)

2) He doesn't have a body. He doesn't sit down and share a glass of wine with me. He speaks to me in ancient poems and meets me when I am most needy, but only ever in my mind- not physically. He sometimes disappears for long periods of time. I feel guilty when I do dumb things. We have a spiritual connection devoid of the scientific.

But call me naive, ignorant if you must, but I believe that prayer is the best medicine for a sickling- I also believe that our spirit is always in opposition to the "matter of facts" of life, because we are halfsies. We are equally imaginative and realistic. As humans we are the poster children for balance and opposition. Flesh and Feelings. Organs and Origami. Creativity and Chaos.

This is a super heavy entry for a Monday morning, but maybe since I haven't felt this sick since I had pneumonia as a young girl, I am a little light headed.

I guess my point is this, science is good. God is good. I like both, and I hope that my doctor on Wednesday gives me medicine that makes me as good as new. And in that I will be thankful to God for giving people brains to come up with the antidotes to the illness.

Take home tip? I have decided that hand sanitizer is godly. Do your part and sanitize, Purell is a way to worship- even if you don't worship God, I think we can all agree that keeping things copacetic is neat. Slather away baby!

Image Courtesy of Christian Northeast