Under the Weather

 Good morning, and welcome to this Thursday Thought.

I didn’t post a video last week because I was somewhat under the weather with some kind of respiratory virus.  I suppose the general category of virus would be a cold, but anymore, who knows.  There are two hundred and some viruses that cause some kind of respiratory symptoms.  I have to wonder if they can all be categorized as “cold” viruses.

In any event, I was upright, but not feeling well.  Rest, liquids, and over-the-counter medications seemed to be the orders of the days during the worst part of it.  This one began to show up two weeks ago with just a kind of general malaise and feeling a bit “off.”  It graduated to a full-blown attack a little over a week ago, and is just now getting to the point that I don’t feel the need for the over-the-counter meds.

I saw my provider last week for another reason, but had him check me out for pneumonia or other possible health effects from the virus.  He cleared me, saying he thought it was just a virus that would run itself out in another week or so.  I tested negative for COVID and with the assurance from the doctor that there was no pneumonia or ancillary infection cropping up, stuck it out.

Respiratory illnesses for older people can be serious.  It is estimated that the geriatric population is nine times more likely to succumb to one of the hundreds of respiratory illnesses than younger populations.  Thankfully, this one didn’t rise to that level.

There are complicating and mitigating factors regarding geriatric morbidity.  General health and wellness, smoking or other exposure to lung-damaging substances, the condition of one’s immune system, whether one has received vaccinations for flu, RSV, COVID, etc., and other factors play into one’s susceptibility to a serious bout with a respiratory infection.

Now, I don’t intend for this to be a medical treatise on respiratory illnesses and ailments.  But I do believe that caring for ourselves properly can go a long way toward a better outcome when we do become under the weather with some kind of respiratory illness.  Of course, the time to do a lot of the caring comes long decades before the age of geriatrics.  How we care for ourselves when we’re in our teens, twenties, and thirties can often make a huge difference in how well we weather the storms of colds, flu, and other respiratory illnesses.

Yet those ages are often the times when we’re the least careful.  We seem to have lots of energy then.  We are relatively healthy then.  We often think of ourselves as pretty much invincible, not concerned about how things might be three, four, or five decades later.  Yet the damage, even though unseen and unfelt, is done.  And that damage comes front and center decades later when some kind of an illness hits.  We don’t have the reserves we once had.  We are in a weakened condition.  And some of us never get back out of the hole that the illness put us into.

As is often the case, God has something to say about how we care for ourselves.  There are scriptures which speak of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self-care.  We are concentrating today on the physical aspects of self-care, so the following will refer to that.  However, don’t neglect those other aspects of self-care.

In Mark 6:31, Jesus himself tells his disciples to take some time off for rest and recouperation.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

In I Corinthians 6:19, Paul is more direct.  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

One more.  This verse is not often thought of as referring to self-care, but the principle it states is very much involved in how we care for ourselves.

I Corinthians 10:31  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

I don’t know what your overall state of health is.  What I do know is that most of us can make some improvements in how we care for ourselves.  And if you’re a younger person seeing this, begin to think about the years ahead and seek now to keep yourself in good physical, mental, emotional, and most of all spiritual condition.  I think you’ll be glad you did.

Blessings.

Be Still

 Good morning, and welcome to this Thursday Thought.

We had occasion to do a day trip yesterday to a rural part of the state.  By rural, I am referring to a place with very few people, lots of livestock, and not much else.  The town we visited had no more than about 100 residents.  It was located in the middle of prairie and farm land.  A highway that didn’t have a lot of traffic ran on one side of it, and a railroad ran beside the highway.

We spent several hours there on business for the church.  During that time, there was a time when we had nothing to do and were waiting on someone else.  I went outside then and noticed a few birds calling.  I didn’t recognize one or two of them, so took out my phone and started my Merlin bird app.  If you aren’t familiar with Merlin, it is an app that listens to your environment and identifies birds by the sounds of their calls.  It seems to be very accurate, and is extremely sensitive to the most distant and soft calls.

The app recognized fourteen different species of bird the first time I used it.  Several minutes later I tried it again.  It recognized sixteen different species.  Although there was considerable overlap on species between the two recordings, there were combined twenty distinct species of birds recognized by Merlin, and sometimes I actually saw them and recognized them.  This in a place far from any larger city or even town, and a sort of oasis in the prairies of southern Kansas red hills.

Beyond that, however, I noticed something else.  Other than the calling of the birds and the occasional human noise, there was a lot of nothing…quiet.  A train went through one time, breaking the silence, and once in awhile someone traveled the highway about a quarter mile away.  But other than the occasional shriek of a couple of kids who were playing a few blocks away, there was nothing.

We live in Wichita.  It seems that no matter where one is in the city, there is constant noise of some kind.  Sometimes it’s a plane overhead.  Sometimes a siren.  Traffic is everywhere.  There may be a train off in the distance.  The sounds of construction are often mixed in with other noises.

Even indoors, sounds of traffic, aircraft, and other noises filter in through walls and windows.  Someone has a loud muffler.  Someone else is riding a cycle or four-wheeler.  A helicopter goes overhead.  Sirens penetrate even well-insulated walls.  And at times, all of these various sound kind of gel together into a low-pitched, almost imperceptible rumble or roar that just keeps on going.  It never stops.  It never ends.  It never becomes truly quiet like what I heard yesterday in the rural area where we were.

One of the quietest places I regularly visit is our back yard patio.  Our back yard abuts the back side of Pawnee Prairie Park, so there are no neighbors behind us.  We are about a mile from busy Kellogg, and a good distance from Maize Road.  When the weather is right and the wind is cooperative, it is pretty much quiet back there.  I hear plenty of birds, along with the sounds of the park…trees rustling, people walking the paths, and so on.  But there often is, even there, that low-pitched, almost imperceptible rumble of a mish-mash of noises and sounds.  And, of course, Eisenhower airport isn’t far away, so there is often the sound of something taking off or landing.

Noise pollution is a real thing that has real effects on humans, animals, and the environment in general.  It is known that with humans, noise pollution can cause cardiovascular issues as well as mental health issues and other problems such as lack of sleep.  Animal behavior is often altered by noise, and the environment in general can be affected by noise…even under water and in the oceans.  Do your own research if you have an interest.

And, what tends to complicate things for us is that we humans have become somewhat addicted to noise.  We have to have the earbuds in, the radio on, or the TV going in the background.  It seems that music has to be played while we’re on hold.  Offices, restaurants and businesses have some kind of music going on speakers in the ceilings.  Being in a truly silent place tends to make us nervous and unsettled.

I have to wonder if at least part of the tendency to want noise is that noise tends to keep us distracted from thinking.  Being alone in our thoughts.  Pondering the meaning of things.  Digging deeper into ourselves.  Considering things bigger than we are…who are we…why are we here…where are we going.  Many people don’t want to go there…they’d much prefer to not have to think about such weighty things.  Because when those topics come up, invariably, life, death, the afterlife, God, and one’s own shortcomings are part of those thoughts.  And that makes us uncomfortable, nervous, and even anxious.

Maybe we NEED to, as Scripture says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  Other translations say, “Stop striving.”  “Desist.”  “Calm down.”  “Let be.”  The idea is to deeply ponder the Truth that is God.

Grand Kids

 Good morning, and welcome to this Thursday Thought.

Many of us who are of an older generation have extended families that include grand children.  Pat and I are two of that older generation.  We have eight grand kids all together…six who live in the Wichita area and two who live about fifty or so miles from here.  One of the six in the Wichita area is now attending Fort Hays, so we sometimes travel a bit to take in a concert or some other event.

We see all of them quite often as we attend various school functions, visit them for one reason or another, attend some kind of event, or they come to see us.  We may plan dinner together either at a restaurant or at one of our homes.  Or, we may be called to sit one or more  younger ones or act as a taxi service taking one or more kids to or from school, some kind of practice, or whatever.

They all have their own lives and their own families, but they are also interconnected with the larger families on both sides.  Not just Grandma and Grandpa, but they also know great aunts and uncles, cousins, and others in the families.  And, we also take advantage of any opportunity we have to let them know about our family history…where we came from and who they were who came before us.

We aren’t always one big happy family, but the love, devotion, and deference to one-another keep us together and respectful of our differences even as we share our commonality.  It is indeed a blessing to be part of such a family.

But I want to key in on our grand kids for a moment.  This is the end of the school year.  It’s also the spring of the year.  This is a time when we attend concerts at the schools.  It’s also a time when Grandpa and Grandma often need help with gardening, cleaning, or some other job.  It is these times when we often call on the older grands for help.  They usually don’t mind helping, and, as one of them has said, when she’s helping us she doesn’t have to do dishes, fold clothes or some other chore at home.  And, they usually receive some kind of pay and we often will take them by the Braums or Sonic for something to eat on their way back home.

I was struck, however, a couple of nights ago as we attended a band concert for one of them.  As I sat beside them, visited with them, and enjoyed their company, it occurred to me that, as was said by baseball great Lou Gehrig, I too “…consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

Six of our eight grands are girls.  The youngest is in pre-school and the oldest is, as I said earlier, attending Fort Hays as a Sophomore this fall.  The girls are all…every one of them…sassy and happy in their own ways.  They enjoy each other’s company…well, at least most of the time…and also like to be around us old folks…at least for awhile.  They are comfortable with us and we with them.  They are, for the most part, beyond any heavy disciplinary actions and usually listen to us if we ask them to do something.

I enjoy their company, and I especially am grateful for the help of the older grands as we get older and less able to do some things due to arthritic joints, painful hips, or other maladies of aging.  I sometimes wonder if the grands have any idea just how much they mean to us…not just because they can help us out from time to time…but because of the joy and love they bring into our lives.  All of them…every one of them…is a special gift of a loving God to older folks on both sides of the families who drink in their energy, their happiness, and their love.  They refresh and energize us as they grow, learn, and seek their own paths in life.

We grandparents are honored to be part of such a family and have the relationships we have with our grands and with their parents.  But I don’t want to mislead you into thinking we have the perfect family.  No family is perfect.  Every family has its issues.  Ours is no different.  But we have managed, somehow it seems, to make those issues and imperfections a little less important than the relationships.

The hugs from the kids…sometimes “just because”…are much of the glue that holds us together as a family.  A common belief and devotion to the God of the universe, however, is, I think, the foundation upon which it all is built.

Thanks for listening…may God bless your upcoming days.

Questions of the Heart

 Good morning, and welcome to this Thursday Thought.

In my role as a minister, I sometimes am privy to some of what one might call the “inner workings” of families.  I think you know what I mean.  There is the public version that families often portray to the outside world.  Then there is the private version of family dynamics that sometimes leaks out into the public view.  Those two versions are often at odds with one-another.  The private version is often a more raw and contentious version than the façade the public sees.

One of the events that often brings the darker private life of the family to public view is when someone…usually a matriarch or patriarch…passes away or is terminal and close to death.  Relatives who haven’t cared for the deceased, haven’t been concerned for the deceased, haven’t visited the deceased, or shown any inclination to have a relationship with the deceased suddenly come out of the woodwork.  They may want to make decisions regarding any funeral or memorial arrangements.  They show little or no respect for the spouse or closer relatives of the deceased.  They usually want something of value…jewelry, automobiles, money, or other property of the demised relative.  If the deceased was cremated, they want to decide what to do with the remains.  They resurrect old issues and family troubles.  In general, they cause havoc within the family, opening old wounds and creating new ones.

I’ve seen it all too often.  For some reason, the death of a relative seems to bring out the worst in some of the other family members.  There is tension, conflict, and there are even sometimes legal battles that go on within families when someone passes.  As if the emotional toll, making the arrangements for burial, taking care of the deceased’s possessions, and learning to live life without that person aren’t enough, now the family is saddled with additional trauma, generated and perpetuated by a few who probably shouldn’t even be in the picture.

I’ve often wondered why this is.  Why is it that families, at a time when the best behavior of everyone should be the rule of the day, why is it that sometimes the worst comes out instead?  Greed, jealousy, a struggle for power, opening old wounds…these seem to be part of an all-too-often occurrence in the lives of too many family units.

I’m not a Psychologist.  I am not an expert on human behavior.  I don’t know the answers.  I don’t know how to counsel grieving families who are going through this additional unnecessary trauma.  What I do know is that these kinds of behaviors are some of the most sinister and divisive...the completion of the tearing apart of the basic unit of society…the family.

I said “the completion of the tearing apart of the family.”  That was intentional on my part because those families have been in trouble for quite some time before the passing of the loved one.  They may well have managed to hide the quarrels, the jealousy, and the greed from public view, but when something traumatic happens, those things come out into the open in an all-out display of the reality of the brokenness of the family…and by extension the brokenness of humanity.  Because let’s face it.  Quarreling, greed, jealousy, anger, and lust for power are the natural and normal functions of human life.  It takes someone really abnormal to put those attributes away and instead display love, kindness, humility, and a servant heart.

The great apostle Paul had it right when he wrote to the Corinthian church about love.  The so-called “love chapter”…chapter 13 in I Corinthians…is what many believe to be a pinnacle of what it means to love.  Here is just a portion of that chapter.

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.

This same Paul also, when writing to the Galatian Christians, speaks of the “acts of the flesh,”…that is, the natural and normal functions of human life…as being, among other things, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy.

What a contrast the acts of love are against the normal and natural human acts of jealousy, selfishness, and the like.  Are you the “normal and natural?”  Or are you someone who instead displays the acts of love toward others?  How do you behave in tense and traumatic family situations?  How many grudges are you holding right now?  What lurks in your heart?

Jesus said that the words one speaks comes from the heart.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord.

Blessings.