Well it has happened again this year, just when we thought we were in the clear and had made it through the cold and flu season unscathed, we get hit with a nasty one. There are a lot of us that got caught this year according to Doctors. The truly amazing thing is that Doctor's have said that this bug is not only nasty but an intelligent little bug. This bug waited until our flu shots were least effective, come the end of winter, the beginning of spring, you know like right now! Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could have been but it was nasty enough for me just the same. During my days of being down and out I had the time to think and was reminded of a few astonishing insights and I decided to share them with you.

Most, if not all, adults know the reason for colds and flu's in God's great big plan. Most of us just forget why from time to time and are in need of reminding. When we are down and out, feeling as terrible and despicable as possible we have the time to ponder things. Thankfully, we do ponder and don't only do the dopey things like reminding our spouses of which hymns we want at our funeral. While pondering a moment of bright shining truth comes piercing into our sick rooms and helps us to remember why these things happen. In God's merciful and all knowing ways, He makes us stronger and healthier through the reverse or complete opposite of what we humans would do if we could or if we were in command of things. This mercifulness that God uses is called, progressive exposure, a little exposure at a time so our immune systems can figure a way to combat the new neighbor.

In recent years, Doctors have discovered a way of telling which patients are 'germ-a-phoebes' like me. We 'germ-a-phoebes' are the ones always picking up every little germ and bug that comes to town. See the problem is that we 'germ-a-phoebes' wash our hands and environments with antibacterial soaps as well as other sanitizers a million times a day. In our human minds it makes sense to attempt to avoid germs and viruses by doing whatever to avoid any exposure. However, in God's plan it is just the opposite. Through small and regular exposures we build up immunities to most bugs and viruses until we aren't bothered by them and are ready for new bigger ones. Does this mean we should all become slobs and never wash our hands, I don't think so and I hope not because I still have a ton of antibacterial soap left in the cabinet! However, we need to understand that over doing things with the sanitizers and antibacterial soaps actually end up hurting us more than helping. We need small amounts of exposure or progressive exposure over time to viruses and various bugs to remain over all healthy and strong.

Because God is all knowing and all seeing and exists out of our time and space it is easy for Him to see how a planned progressive exposure over a period of time, rather than complete avoidance will better prepare us for the really big bugs that come along. I can only imagine that it is a bit easier to start at the end or to see the end and then to look back in retrospect in order to truly understand all this. We however, the sick down and out ones, can't always see it as a benefit and can't imagine a worst bug or a worst way of feeling than the present.

This reminds me of when parents of olden days used to purposely exposure their children to other children with chickenpoxes because it was known and believed to be better to have chickenpox's as a child rather then shingles as an adult. Now freeze frame for a moment and ask the child suffering with chickenpoxes if this makes any sense to them and they would unsurprisingly say, no way! Then tell them that their loving parent arranged for them to receive this sickness, purposely and deliberately, because they love them, again the child wouldn't understand or even agree to the 'loving bit' because of such actions. It only make sense in the over all 'big picture' of things and not in the 'heat of the moment'!

So as I was pondering and remembering these points I wanted to share with you, I started to wonder what else or what other things makes sense and are for our good in the big picture of things? What things while in the heat of the moment don't make sense or convey God's love for us? Then it hit me, problem and troubles of everyday life fall into the very same category. Everyone's problems are the worst to them and nobody else's could even come close to theirs! When we were teenagers, we had teenagers' problems and they were as big and nasty as they could possibly be. We some how and in some way worked through them and moved on to more adult problems to solve when they came around. If we as adults would remember back to our teenage years and the problems of then, most of us would sarcastically say, 'if only my problems would be that simple today... I'd be happy'! Right? I know I've said that before myself. Yes, it may be true in one way; however, it isn't correct in the big picture of things. We need childhood problems to be able to handle teenage problems. We needed teenaged problems to be equipped to handle adult problems and so on and so on until old age ending with our earthly death. I even know a few grandparents who would say the 'if that was all I had to deal with...'statement in comparison to typical parenting troubles and/or problems. Again, its progressive exposure and not avoidance or dealing with all of it at one time that leads to solutions for our betterment in the 'big picture' of things.

I think we Christians could also use our understanding of progressive exposure to explain the age old question and statement; "prove to me that there is a God and secondly, prove His love for me"! With an understanding of progressive exposure we can give another 'real' insightfulness to the question. It could go something like this. "It only makes sense to someone not in the heat of the moment to prescribe a viable plan of attack of progressive exposure to make one stronger by affording our bodies the opportunity to develop immunities. Only someone not affected by the problems of the moment can understand and see a path through troubles and problems as a way to make one strong enough and understanding enough for what is to come. Only God could have designed things to work in this way. He isn't bound by time and space and therefore can see the end and look back to the beginning in retrospect to see the proper course of action. If it were left up to us humans, we while in the heat of the moment, would rather run and hide rather than except a small amount of suffering in order to prevent serious or long lasting and more severe suffering. Without God and His mercy we humans would run around avoiding everything until we were struck by some infantile virus or by an elementary problem of right and wrong and either and/or both would end up killing us! Only God designs things to work in the opposite of what we humans would do.

Lastly, while we are fighting the fight of the moment, whether problems or bugs, we need to thank God for His boundless mercy and love of not throwing it all at us at one time. We humans if we are completely honest would have to admit, it's a truly viable plan of attack that only makes sense in the big picture of things. Thank God for His mercy and ability to work His miracles of the 'big picture' into each and every one of our 'heat of the moments' for our own good. What better way is there to explain 'love' than to show a fore-thought of progressive exposure for ones betterment?