Diarrhea.
Yes, the good ol’ runs! I know…I KNOW! It’s not the most glamorous thing to blog about, but there is nothing glamorous about the World Race (except maybe travelling to eleven different countries…but that’s beside the point). From showering with cockroaches to using the side of the road as a public restroom and everything in between, we’ve got the good, the bad, and the runny!
I “ran” into this problem the Friday I had Pizza Hut. Normally I have a pretty good stomach, but after having a couple slices of their Hawaiian pizza (which FYI tastes way different from Pizza Hut pizza back home) an explosion occurred in the bathroom the next morning. My apologies for the graphic details. I thought it was a one and done deal, that everything nasty had left my system in time for me to enjoy the rest of my Saturday watching Kirk Long play at the first Ateneo vs. FEU finals game. Boy, was I wrong!!
"D" for Diarrhea!! Hahah jk!
I was able to maintain my craycray for about a quarter before my body started giving way. I was looking clammy and feeling crappy…literally! [Insert fever here.] My body was hot and I was weak, to the point where I couldn’t even stand up. And let’s be real, I’m Filipino—my love for basketball runs deep through my veins! So to not be able to heckle and fist pump and yell was more torturous than the actual sickness itself. Not to mention all the missed photo opportunities (again, I'm filipino) and missing out on being on the big screen, which was our goal ever since game one!
<—Not a happy camper -__-
I’m gonna be honest, even if I wanted to, I could not choose to be joyful at that moment. How could anyone choose joy in moments of weakness/crappiness like that?!
I remember sitting on the side of the road, waiting impatiently to get into the van to go home, while all the kids we had come to the game with were having a hoot releasing all the adrenaline from the game. Being the party pooper that I was, I snapped at a teammate! It was partly because I was sick and hungry, but it was mostly out of frustration that no one really seemed to care that I wasn’t feeling well…except maybe one person. But besides that one person, no one that I had expected extended their hand in prayer or caressed my back to comfort me. And my prideful nature would not allow me to ask for any of those things. I was sick, bitter and tired—a deadly combination for sure. And then there was Grace.,,
On the bus ride back home, I don’t believe it was a coincidence that I was sitting beside Ate Grace, one of the kitchen helpers at the center we are staying at. She is just a bubbly, servant-hearted woman of God—simple, joyful and loving. I remember turning to her and asking if I could rest my head on her shoulder. She agreed, no questions asked. In that moment of comfort, when I was leaning against God’s “Grace,” I pressed into what I knew to be true about Papa.
You are the Healer and the Provider. You will heal and provide.
You are merciful. You know all my needs. In your perfect time, all will work out for your glory.
You love me…even in my crumminess, depression and despair.
You are far greater than all the circumstances and situations that befall me.
You are good. ALL the time.
Your grace is unlimited! It’s there when we need it most, present even in the literal form of a person named Grace. =)
You got me this far! There is nothing I can’t overcome through your loving grace.
I got home, passed out and rested in that truth all night and all day—16 hours to be exact! And guess what?! My fever went away! Praise God! But Mr. Runs stayed behind =( In fact, he stayed for a whole week! It goes without saying that it was a tough week physically, but spiritually it was so powerful.
I had a special revelation one night. Can you guess where?! =) Of all the places Papa could speak to me, He chose the toilet!! THE TOILET!! Sitting on the throne one night, I was simply thanking Papa that I didn’t have constipation (which I am all too familiar with). I was thanking Him for the healing and restoration that was occurring in body right then and there and proclaiming freedom from sickness.
And then it hit me.
“I am cleansing you, my child.”
In a whisper that could have only come from the Holy Spirit, it was clear; Papa was cleansing me of my inequities—pride, insecurity, selfishness, vanity, etc. He was emptying me of myself and refilling it with more of Him.
But really though, what the heck does diarrhea have to do with a spiritual cleansing?! Well, what I was able to discern with the help of my squad leader, Megan, is that our physical well-being is a manifestation of what is occurring in us spiritually. Papa wanted to expose the baggage that I had brought with me on the race and flush it out of my system…and it came out physically as diarrhea! Gotta love His sense of humor and His ingenuity! It may not have been the route I would have chosen, but I’d much rather have it Papa’s way than my way!
One last thing (sorry for the long blog) I believe our biggest D-Fence against the gloom is exultation. We have the ability to change our attitude…to choose joy over despair.
True praise and thanksgiving to Papa should not depend on our feelings. It is precisely when we are feeling depressed that we most need to praise Him. Don't learn the hard way like me! Choose joy and watch the uplifting power overcome you! It is impossible to clap your hands and sing exultantly to the glory of God and still remain gloomy. And thankfully there are more things to be grateful for than to complain about… so we should never run out of praises! =)
PS. Thank you for all those who prayed for the healing of my swollen ankles, my ridiculous mosquito bites, my fever, my diarrhea, my cold and for my immune system as a whole! I am so blessed to have you fighting for me! LOVE YOU!
PPS. Please do share your “diarrhea” stories with me! I’d love to hear about how Papa is cleansing your life!
“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise.” Jeremiah 17:14
