A Covid Adventure
“And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.” Luke 17:16 KJV
It’s funny how you can one day be at a crossroad. Yesterday the path might have seemed a little rough, but it was your world and you had gotten used to it. You complain about how unfair the world is and how it almost seems to be picking on you. Your solutions: you pout, you worry, you get defensive, and most of all you complain.
I wasn’t feeling too well, but you have those off days. My wife asked me to go to the urgent care center if I wasn’t feeling better in the morning. You see, although my wife wouldn’t admit it, this was going to kind of be a special weekend. This was Thursday night and her birthday was going to be on Saturday.
One of our grandkids, the youngest, was going to come over and spend the night with his mom. This would be our second attempt to have him spend the night. The last time we tried, we did it on our own, without his mom. That wasn’t a real pleasant event for him. We had high hopes this might make him more comfortable staying with us because we both love playing with him.
The next day, was to be my wife’s birthday, and we were planning to all go over to her parents and go out to eat. My wife didn’t want to make a big deal for her birthday this year, so I tried to honor her wishes. This little dinner outing would work perfect.
I had not been sick for a very long time and this didn’t seem like too bad of an illness. I have had both my vaccine shots, so I was sure it couldn’t be covid. I went to the urgent care facility, like she wished, just to make sure because I really didn’t want to give it, whatever I had, to anyone.
Whoever came up with those tests that ram those sticks up your nose, and into your mouth, should be shot. I’ve cut myself really badly, had back surgery, had so much arthritis in my knee I couldn’t even bend my leg, and a host of other ailments. None of those is as bad as these covid tests.
It was a rapid covid test, so they said they would get the results back in 15 minutes. When the nurse came back in, she said she put the sample in the machine and in about a minute it came back positive. She said it was one of the quickest results she had ever seen. That’s when she said we needed to do the mouth test to confirm the results. That test was just as bad.
This future President’s family was of Scottish-Irish descent. When their forefathers arrived in America, they settled on the eastern shores of Maryland. Like many immigrants, they would roam through America until they would find that special spot to claim as their part of America and their new home.
A few generations down, and after the family tree had rooted in this small southern town, Samuel and Jane gave birth to a son. Like many Presidential parents, Samuel and Jane would fit the mold of a devout Christian mom and a more faithless father. Jane’s influence, again like a lot of the Presidents’ moms, would guide her son more in her faith’s direction rather than the father would in his doubts about religion.
Still, father Samuel would also play a key role in his son’s life. Samuel would become a county judge and he would become a friend of a famous general, who would become a President one day, too. This general and future President would play a huge role in Samuel’s son’s life.
Frontier life was not good for Samuel’s son. Frail health and illness plagued his childhood. He was even operated on for urinary stones. This operation was successful, but many believe it made him sterile. He would never have any children of his own.
Samuel’s son would go off to school and become a successful lawyer. His mother instilled in him the values of working hard. No one would ever accuse him of being a slouch. Even when he became President, there is probably no other person who worked harder, each and every day, at whatever task was at hand.
Samuel’s son would move to another state when he went to school. This state would become his permanent “home state.” In addition to this state becoming his new home state, it was also the home state of his family’s friend who was a general and would become a future President.
A year after Samuel’s son graduated college, he was elected his state’s clerk for the State Senate. His was easily reelected to a second term. Then he ran for a seat in his state’s House of Representatives. Full of energy, he hit the campaign trail full throttle. His talent in oratory at school came in very handy. He earned the nickname: Napoleon of the Stump. He would win that election, too.
About this time, he was also commissioned captain of a cavalry regiment. He would work his way up to colonel. Being called “Colonel” was something he always loved to hear.
About this time, Samuel’s son met and fell in love with Sarah. As a strange coincidence, Sarah’s family was also good friends of the general and future President mentioned above. Sarah’s family was a prominent one, so Samuel’s son definitely married up. Sarah was equally as hard working as Samuel’s son. They made a great campaign team. She would also be one of his closest advisors.
It wasn’t too long after this that Samuel’s son decided to run for the US House of Representatives from his state. Sarah and he hit the campaign trail full throttle again and the result was he got elected to Congress. His family’s general friend wasn’t so lucky with his Presidential bid. The general lost the Presidential election that year in a very close and bitter election that was thrown into the House. Despite the fact that the general had won the popular vote, Congress chose one of his opponents, who happened to be from a Presidential family himself.
It’s hard not to be part of the popular crowd. Everyone else seems to be having so much more fun. This Bible character was suffering from the covid of his day. Seems everyone wanted to keep at least six feet away and wear a mask if they even got close to him. It seemed like all anyone saw in him was his disease.
We don’t find much information in the Bible on this man. In fact, the Bible doesn’t even list his name. My guess is that he probably led a normal life until this disease sent his life into a tailspin. Maybe he was just an average citizen with a house, a job, and two donkeys in the garage.
When he contracted his disease, not one of his neighbors wanted to be near him. The merchants wouldn’t sell him anything and he probably got fired from his job. With no money and a scary disease, he ended up losing his home and all of his possessions. What was he going to do?
Looking over the horizon, he could see, off in the distance, a small crowd of outcasts. He had heard stories about them before and they weren’t real good ones. People were really scared of these people. Still, he had no place left to go.
Off to the land of the outcasts he went. There was no pep in his step. His face was downtrodden and his pace was slow. If it was a beautiful day or a miserable day he would have never known. He never once lifted up his head to look.
When he arrived at the little camp, it was even worse than he thought. The moaning was like that at a haunted house. The stench was so strong it turned his stomach. Little did he know, in a few months, these would be the daily sounds and smells of his new life.
As I start this blog, I am sitting in a special section of the hospital that keeps the covid patients separate from the regular population. I’m getting something they call an infusion. It is supposed to be one of those wonder drugs that helps your body fight off this dreaded infection. It sounds like I’m going to be just fine.
I really appreciate the fact that I got my covid shots. I have heard from a host of people who either had this dreaded virus or knew of someone who has had it. Some of those got very sick and others knew of someone close to them that had even died. Everyone is entitled to believe what they want to about the vaccine, but I believe the shot left me with a far milder version of the virus than if I had not had the shot.
With the infusion now inside my body, I started looking around the room. I realized that all the other people in here are at least my age and most are even much older. It was then that it hit me, this is not a virus for older people.
I realized that, even though they never actually said it, the nurses were really “pushing” this infusion on me, not because I wasn’t in good health, which I am, but because of my age. This virus saw a weak victim. If the virus could convince me that I really didn’t really need the infusion, it knew it stood a much better chance of claiming another victim.
As I turned out of my development to come here early this morning, I looked down the street to the right as I sat at the traffic light leaving our development. It was the most beautiful sunrise I have seen in quite a while. I just sat there for a minute.
As I sat looking at the sunrise, I realized I’ve gotten it all wrong. Life isn’t about the victories; it is about appreciating all the little blessings along the way. Why worry? Worry can’t fix anything. I’m not the savior for all the trauma that lays on my pathway. Jesus is and I’m only here to give Him a hand when He asks. I just need to let Him do His job and follow His directions for my role in His plan.
When James K. Polk was elected to Congress from the state of Tennessee, he would work tirelessly to oppose almost anything President John Quincy Adams sent to Congress. After all, Adams had stolen this election from his friend and mentor General Andrew Jackson. Polk was only twenty-nine years old when he was first elected to Congress.
When Jackson got his revenge by defeating Adams in the next election, “Old Hickory” would often turn to his protégé “Young Hickory,” as he was nicknamed, James K. Polk. Polk would put in the hard work needed to become a strong Congressman. He would serve on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, even serving as its Chair. Then he would go on to be elected Speaker of the House. Polk is still the only Speaker of the House to ever be elected President.
Seeing the political winds changing, Polk knew his days in the House were numbered. He decided to return home and run for Governor of Tennessee. Polk was hoping this job would launch him to the Presidency. He would win that election. When he sought reelection as Governor, he suffered the first election loss of his career to the hands of James “Lean Jimmy” Jones. Polk’s serious personality was no match for “Lean Jimmy’s” lighthearted, humorous one.
He would try again to run against “Lean Jimmy” but suffered the same results. It looked like all hope of becoming President was lost due to the Polk name “unsellability” even in his own home state. That didn’t stop the hard-working Polk.
James K. Polk didn’t think the Presidency was possible in the Presidential Election of 1844. So, Polk went to work on securing the Vice President spot. Former President Martin Van Buren was the leading front runner for the Democratic nomination. Former Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson and Michigan Senator Lewis Cass were also strong contenders. With such “big names” in the race, Polk realized his Presidential prospects in this election were rather slim.
Still there was the 2/3 Rule. To secure the nomination required gaining the votes of not half of the Democratic delegates, but 2/3 of them. Van Buren, although he was the leading candidate and had half the delegates, just was not popular enough with two-thirds of them. After five deadlocked ballots, Cass took the delegate count lead, but the diehard Van Buren delegates were not too fond of Cass. They decided to look in another direction.
After seven ballots the delegates were getting a little frustrated by the process and many of them wanted to look for another candidate. On the eighth ballot James K. Polk’s name first appeared and he received only 44 votes. On the ninth and final ballot, James K. Polk was nominated to represent the Democratic party in the election of 1844.
Polk would go on to win the Presidential Election of 1844 against the Whig’s party candidate, former Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. It was now President Polk and he promised to serve just one term. Polk went right to work. And work, and work, and work is just what he did. Always the micromanager type, he would work long hours and even do tasks that could easily have been turned over to others.
In one of the most ambitious single terms, Polk accomplished his four main goals: reestablish the Independent Treasury System, reduce tariffs, acquire some or all the Oregon territory, and acquire California from Mexico. In four short years he accomplished them all. To say he was tired at the end of his four years would be an understatement.
Still, after his term was over, Polk decided to take a victory lap around the south. Worn, but determined, off on his road tour he went. There was a cholera epidemic near New Orleans as he got close to that town. Not wanting to disappoint those loyal supporters in Louisiana, Polk traveled there anyway. By the time he got back to Nashville, Polk was very sick.
On June 15, 1848, just a few little over three months after he left office, James K. Polk was dead. Other than the Presidents who died in office, it remains the shortest Presidential retirement period in our history. He was only 53 years old. His wife, Sarah, would survive him by 42 years.
Depression would set in with our Bible character. Each weary traveler, who even got close to the group was inundated with pleas for bread crumbs or change. Those travelers would quickly flee these swarms of creatures that looked like they had just arisen from the grave.
One day, this man, and nine of his fellow citizens, decided to travel just a little outside the camp. It wasn’t just some little trip to get away, it was to put them at an advantage of the others at camp. You see, they realized large groups were scaring potential helping prospects away. Maybe a smaller group might seem less threatening.
Early in the morning they arose and headed off in the distance. As luck would have it, off over the horizon, they could see a group heading their way. Luckily the unsuspecting group of travelers didn’t notice them until it was too late for them to change their direction.
Almost in shock, most of the members of the traveling group stopped in unison once they noticed the outcasts. Out of respect for these travelers, or maybe it was a law they had to obey, these sick people shouted, “Unclean! Unclean!” These sick men now knew this was a make-or-break moment for them. Either the travelers would quickly flee, which is what they were used to, or the travelers would have compassion on them and give them a little food or money.
Much to their surprise, the leader of this group of travelers headed straight toward the lepers. Shocked, the lepers all took a few steps back almost in unison. It was like they were part of a marching band routine. Equally surprised, the other travelers began yelling at the leader to come back.
Stubbornly, Jesus wouldn’t listen to his disciples. He headed straight toward the ten lepers. Then He did one of those crazy miracles he would often do, He healed all ten of those lepers. All ten of the lepers were filled with excitement. Up and down they jumped. Then off to town they headed to return to regular society.
A good hundred yards away, the travelers noticed one of the former lepers stopped. It was the man from our story. Slowly he returned to Jesus. He kneeled down before Him, bowed his head at Jesus’ feet, and he grabbed his hand and kissed it. Over and over again he said to Jesus, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
In one of the very few instances in the Bible, Jesus asked the former leper, “Where are the other nine? Did I not heal them, too?” To me, that seems like a really strange question to ask, even though He definitely deserved to be thanked. He had healed countless other people and He never seemed to have asked them to thank Him. Why now?
I’ve had a little illness with this covid, but it has been more like a minor cold, with the addition of a little coughing and fatigue. I have definitely been sicker before. Who will ever know why I have not had more serious symptoms? Maybe it was the vaccine, the rest, the quick administration of the infusion, my body’s ability to react quickly, luck, or even God’s hand. Regardless of what it was, it caused me to do a little more thinking.
When the nurse came to tell me that it was covid, it would only seem natural to panic or worry. After all, I have been doing almost everything I possibly could, for the last nineteen months, to avoid this beast. Horror stories abound of the graves that have been dug for its victims. Yet when the nurse told me, there was no panic, no wondering what I could have done differently, and no sadness. No, I felt complete peace.
As I sat at the stop light looking at the beautiful sunrise as I headed to the infusion. I did not wonder how many more I might see. No, I found myself thanking God for that one I got to see that morning. I requested no more of those beautiful sunrises, for on that day, I was so thankful for the one I got to see.
As I looked at all the other expressions on people’s faces who were getting infusions, I saw a resignation that their lives were going to take some very bad turns and they were only hoping that this miracle injection would somehow save their lives. Not me, I was determined to get a laugh out of everyone I had a chance to talk to. A passion welled up inside me. God didn’t put me on this earth to feel sorry for myself, He put me here to assist Him help people see there is hope and that hope is Him.
We often miss the chance to tell God thank you when we get too busy, like James K. Polk. The worry of getting it all done wears us down and like Polk’s life, can shorten our years. Maybe, like the one leper, we just need to take a moment each day to be in God’s presence and maybe even learn a little lesson.
I think, perhaps, when Jesus asked the leper where were the other nine, He wasn’t just talking about the nine lepers who didn’t come back and thank Him. He might have just been asking that one leper, “What are you going to do with that thank you? Don’t you have nine others you can help?”
Prayer: Dear Mighty Father, Oh, thank You so much for taking care of me during this covid episode. Thank you for the sunrise. Thank you for everything you have ever done for or given me. Help me be a helpful servant that can let others see what an absolutely great God You are. Amen.
