It is so unlikely for me to write something about a very common thing that bugs just about everyone at different times. Members of my growth group can remember that it was a Thursday night when I cried of severe pain in my head which can be likened to a hangover, this one only more intense and pulsating.
I was brought to the Medical City for treatment, they did an XRay and diagnosed it later on as tension headache due to sinusitis. Hmmm.
I thank the Lord for my sisters Rajsh and Raya for they have been faithfully praying for me. Rajsh apparently, has been diagnosed to have tension headache since last year so she knows what it feels, although mine may be different from hers.
The headache attacked me the second time before our performance at SM Taytay. Tension? Stress? Maybe. Oh it was a Saturday, and I even took a nap in the afternoon before the show. How it came about still baffles me. 30 minutes before the start of the show, I ran to the clinic and asked for paracetamol. I was desperate for anything that would ease the throbbing pain. With prayers, the headache did go away 5 minutes before we began. God is amazing.
How unfortunate for me because the headache attacked again, during a very happy occasion–Pastor Chris and Joann’s wedding. Ohhh it was terrible, I tell you. I tried to not think about it by mingling with friends and talking to them but the pain was so intense, I had to sit at the lounge outside to avoid calling attention to myself. I prayed hard, asked the Lord to take it away. I thank the Lord for Claire, Gigi and Richard who kept me company in the table before I stepped out. Richard got me some pain killers, but it still didn’t seem to work. I was to sing for the wedding, but the pain disabled me. In my mind, I asked the Lord “What are you teaching me today? Is this a sign Father God, that I should take things slow?”
All things that happen to us are allowed by the Lord, not because he wants to make fun of us but because he wants to teach us something. In matters of health, the Lord allows certain pains or afflictions to come about because
1. He wants to remind us that we should take care of our bodies, for it is the temple of the Holy Spirit
2. He wants to remind us that we should rely on Him even if something as simple as a cold or an allergy affects us. He is far more greater than these and He can take it away.
3. He wants to remind us that we can always come and rest in Him.
If we over-work and abuse ourselves (I give myself a guilty look for this), don’t eat healthy and keep ourselves fit, do you think that would be glorifying to Him?
Keep in mind though, that the Lord’s view of HEALTHY doesn’t mean that we have to be reed-thin like those contestants on America’s Next Top Model nor did He command us to be all muscular with six-pack abs. The Lord wants us to enjoy life, enjoy the blessing of having food to eat while keeping in mind that we should not consume anything excessively.
Smoking and drinking will have separate blog entries. For now, stay healthy and glorify the Lord with your body!
Ingrid Nieto-Pagulayan 