If you’ve been hearing about the Corona Virus, you’ve
been bombarded with precautions such as: Stay home. Wash your hands with soap for
at least 20 second every time you have been out. Sit and stand several feet
away from other people. Avoid hugs and hand-shakes. Cough into a tissue –
things I hope you’ve already been doing anytime anything is “going around.”
We who love God also count on the Lord to protect us,
and certainly, our faith will overcome fear. But that doesn’t mean faith wipes
out good sense! On the contrary, believers in God do well to investigate what
our Creator has placed in nature that will boost health now - physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Physically
Vitamin C in reasonable amounts will help to protect
your immune system. However, too much can send you running to the bathroom
where, oh no! You might not have toilet paper! (Hmm. For that, God made big
leaves, right?)
Echinacea is a natural herb with antiviral
properties. Its “dirty sock” smell and earthy flavor keep us from downing it
like candy, which means it’s not to be taken like a bag of potato chips or chocolate
squares. The trouble is, this herb works in the mouth, not the stomach, so
instead of swallowing an Echinacea capsule, open it and dump the contents into a
honey-sweetened cup of tea.
Low humidity dries out body cells, making mucous
membranes less able to filter out dust, pollen, and germs. Besides drinking
lots and lots of clean water, use a humidifier. Or put water on the stove to
boil, then add a few drops of cinnamon oil or eucalyptus or peppermint.
Find something to laugh about – the more belly
involved the better. Listen to soothing music. Sing. Dance around to get your
blood and those happy endorphins circling.
Mentally
Focusing on fear gives whatever we’re afraid of power
over us as fear becomes the focal point of our lives. We can’t always control
our feelings, but we can change the subject of our thoughts.
Instead of panic, choose faith over fear. (Yep, it’s
a decision! Do we trust God or not?)
Read Psalms, Bible prayers, and poetry to stimulate faith.
Journal. Paint a picture. Color with crayons.
Relax. Watch the sun set. Get ample rest.
Spiritually
Constant worry puts the body into a fight or flight
mode. Every time you start to worry about something, pray about it instead.
Look up “faith” in a Bible concordance. Find verses
that speak to you and claim them for your own. (For me, for instance, it’s
Romans 8:28 and John 3:17.)
Pray the Lord’s Prayer aka Our Father as though it
were an outline for praying. As you say each phrase, let God bring to mind the
people or situations for whom you’re to pray. For example, “Give ___ today the
bread needed to feed their family.” Or, “Lead us not into the temptation to
give in to our fears.” Or, “Deliver us, Lord, from the evil of faithlessness,
greed, and hardened hearts.”
Count your blessings. Thank God for each gift. Praise
God as The One to Trust – The One Who Wills to work for your good, no matter
how scary things seem.
Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2020.
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