Church and the Common Cold

My wife and I have had a very annoying cold for many days.  We have forgone church for weeks because of concern about giving our symptoms to others plus not feeling like a normal person anyway – or some such miserably indescribable feelings.

The issue with a common cold is many-sided.  Not only does it feel crummy to feel crummy, but we receive few redeeming notes of empathy because, well, hey, it’s just a common cold. 

But when we are out of sorts like this, we tend not to notice the ordinary things in life that can give us good feelings; 

• the comfort of the lay of our cats in front of the fireplace, 
• the delightful arrival of the first robin on the yet bare ground of what might be spring, 
• our appreciation for the special attention to careful packing of our groceries at the supermarket by a caring check-out person, 
• the mirror imaging of a smile from a passerby, 
• the upbeat feelings from a delightful song of our childhood being played on the radio, 
• or an appreciated message of grace from the Bible. 

These ordinary things of life that make daily life worth living, can all seem to hide, unseen, behind the hum-drum of a stuffy-head-focused frame of mind. 

Staying away from church precludes numerous opportunities for smiles from pew-mates, greetings from friends, chuckles from a neighbor, wisdom from the sermon, singing, praying  and reciting with the congregation – having a sense of being secure in the “Body of Christ” during communion.    All are freely available for just showing up.  But alas, mood and discretion keep us away.

Expressing gratitude is perhaps our most powerful way of enhancing our own health and well-being -- through the process of thanking others.  But if we don’t put ourselves in the probable pathways of good things happening, say at church, how will we know when to share our thanksgivings? 

Positive emotions from observed beauty and grace and from gratitude expressed are events that could have helped our bodies fight the infections of colds.  But ironically those low life cold symptoms are what kept us from noticing the very things we needed most for our recovery.

Our ability to notice the good in our life was reduced and as a consequence our time for recovery was lengthened. 

At least today we have an “I’ve got a cold” excuse for our lack of noticing the good in life, praising God and finding well-being;  I wonder what our excuse will be next week if we miss church again?

Bruce