The Three D's

Ack. I hate having a yucky sore throat and aching sinuses. Being sick isn't any fun. Well, maybe it's a little nice to have an excuse to stay in my pajamas and lie in bed on and off. Of course, being a mom and being sick doesn't get you much rest. Sometimes I do enjoy having my husband do some of the things that I normally would insist on doing myself, like cleaning up a dirty diaper or playing referee to the dinner time meltdown.

I know that I'm really not suffering that much right now anyway. I have experienced much more extremes in the bug department in my lifetime. And truly, what I have come down with here and there in my medical history isn't any thing serious. Not when I think about what some of the dear people I that know have dealt with in their bodies.

It's difficult to see or know of loved ones or friends that go through some pretty rough stuff in their bodies. Many people in the world have daily difficulties that I cannot even fathom going through. And what about little children that have to suffer. Why does this kind of thing have to happen? I have heard lots of people question: "If God is good, why does He allow suffering"? Or: "Why would a loving God let someone die"?

So, today, while I was lying down and supposed to be sleeping, I started to think, "How do I answer that"? What do I say to my son when one day he will inevitably ask, "Why is there death, and disease, and suffering"? How do I explain that God is still good, even when there is bad all around?

We live in a very fragile world, balanced between a very real heaven and a very real hell. This earth was created by a perfect and spotless God who seeks to reveal Himself to us daily. He knew before He made the world that we would sin against Him, yet He still chose to create us, breathe life into us, and walk among us. God also knew that Lucifer would betray Him and try to become his own god. Christ saw the entire history of time before He spoke any of it into existence. He knew that satan's plan all along would be to seek us out, to turn our hearts, even our bodies against Christ. With original sin, the bite that Adam and Eve took from the fruit; dirt, disease, and ultimately death was ushered unto earth. God gave mankind a choice, and humans chose to go their own way.

When I was a kid I sometimes enjoyed trying to get a reaction out of my dad at the dinner table with some type of icky thing that had happened at school or a "grosser than gross" joke. I think my parents started to see a pattern emerging around second or third grade and they introduced me to the phrased that was coined by one of my older siblings years before. My parents explained that there would not be talk of anything that could be labeled one of "The Three D's", meaning anything that fell under the category of Death, Dirt, or Disease. I was to show restraint and keep the "Three D's" under control.

So, today when I thought this through I began to get really excited about what God was saying to me. I started to think about the wonderful grace of a loving God that has sent His Holy Spirit to move among us and to protect us from what should be our destruction and demise. Yes, there are awful, terrible things all around us, and if satan were unleashed upon the earth to do his will, we would not be able to live through it. But, because God is a loving and gracious Lord who wants us to find Him and be reconciled to Him, He has sent His Spirit to live here with us and give us His mercy. The Holy Spirit is keeping the "Three D's" of this world in check!

When we get a glimpse of His Mercy and Love, the current sufferings of this world pale in comparison to the glory which will be revealed to us when we see Him. This world cannot be perfect, we messed it up, but thank the Lord, we don't have to be trapped here! It is not our end, as believers we will live without the ugly trappings of this earthly life in a perfect heaven.

Today I thank God for His Holy Spirit. I can commune with Him and hear His voice, even if my body betrays me. I am so glad for a God who provides a way out of this imperfect world and Who will be victorious over sickness and death!

Holy Spirit come and show me your goodness. Help me to see Your hand of mercy upon the earth.