Tamiflu

I have perfected the art of time travel. It happened just this week; I went straight from last Friday to this morning, without passing through any of the in-between days. You can do this too. It’s easy; all you have to do is get the flu. 
My memory of the time travel is a bit foggy, but I do recollect my dear, sweet husband’s face, pressing my forehead with a damp cloth, bringing me sprite and crackers and making sure I took my medicine on time. Yesterday, my fever broke after four straight days near 102. I would’ve sung a hallelujah, but I was too exhausted, though from what, I have no idea. I haven’t done anything for the past week but sleep. 
    So this morning, when I started to feel like myself again, I wanted to thank my hero. I reached over to give him a hug, and that’s when I noticed. He was in bed, wearing his sweats and hoodie, shivering under the covers like a turtle in the tundra. His temperature? 101.2. 
He treats me like a fragile rose for an entire week, and this is how I repay him. I am a terrible person. 
So back to the doctor we went, to get him the coveted Tamiflu, which is supposed to make things better but honestly. If a miserable, headachy, tossing-and-turning week-long sleep is better, I’d hate to see the worse. But I’m not complaining. Truly. I’m very grateful for a medication that kept the “worse” from progressing. 
I’ve had the same experience in other areas of my life, as well. 
Sometimes my inner Eeyore takes over like the flu, and I wonder, “If this is what life is like, living right, following God, I’d hate to see what it’s like without Him.” I start to wonder if faith is even worth the effort, because really, how much worse could it be? 
But then I wake up and realize what a foolish thought it is, to ever want to do life without my faith. Life is hard, but it’s also beautiful. And in spite of the hardships, my God is always there, protecting me, holding the worst of it at bay or, when the worst does come, comforting me through it. Like my dear husband with the cool cloth, my heavenly Father is there, caring for me with tender love. 
And though I may go through some really rotten, toss-and-turn events in my life, I know, deep in my heart, that He has protected me from so much worse. He holds my hand and sees me through the storms; without Him, I’d surely drown in the midst of them. 
I took every bit of that Tamiflu, knowing my flu would be less harsh with it than without it. And I will savor every bit of mercy and grace my faith in God has to offer, for I know, without question, I am lost without Him. 
“God is your guardian, right at your side to protect you—shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke. God guards you from every evil; he guards your very life,” Psalm 121:5-7.