The Headache

I talked to my players about the difference between discomfort and injury, telling them that playing a sport will always involve discomfort. Injury is a completely different matter. I told them I have a hard time being empathetic in terms of illness because the Lord blessed me with very good health and the last time I missed school for illness was sixth grade. I also reminded them that if their parents didn't go to work every time they didn't feel good, their families might fall apart. It is easy staying on a schedule when you feel good. When you are in pain and you still show up for life, I have admiration. This is from 7-6-06.

Something happened this morning that is a frequent occurrence when I stay at my parents' house; I woke up with a headache. There is no logical reason for this. I sleep more here. The bed is more comfortable than mine in Houston. Maybe the only difference is that it is cooler in St. Louis but that doesn't account for the same thing happening when I'm here for Christmas. There is a remedy- a bowl of cereal, several cups of coffee, and three aspirin and I'm good to go. The pain is temporary and to be honest, not all that severe. I have taught and coached students who suffered from migraines. From what I'm told, the pain is blinding and incapacitates the sufferer. I should be embarrassed to place my discomfort in the same category as those with migraines. It's akin to comparing a five minute sprinkling of rain with a monsoon. I am not good with minor pain. How would I react to long term agony?

The apostle Paul had a good grip on the reality of problems in the Christian life. In 2 Corinthians 4:17, he referred to his struggles as "light and momentary troubles." But when you look back earlier in the chapter, he defined his circumstances with words such as hard pressed, persecuted, perplexed, and struck down. I would never consider those terms as light; I might be in the panic mode were they to afflict my existence. At the slightest hint of a headache, I reach for the Bayer bottle. (OK, it's really the Wal-Mart generic equivalent.) I overreact to any physical sensation that does not border on bliss. Paul accepted the hand he had been dealt with the realization that it would be rendered inconsequential by the eternal reward he would enjoy at the end. If I were Paul, I would go through a bottle of pain relief per day. He must have been one tough old dude!

Applicable quote of the day:
"I could never say in the morning, 'I have a headache and cannot do thus or so.' Headache or no headache, thus and so had to be done."
Eleanor Roosevelt


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com