Recent wastewater data reports reveal that Norovirus, commonly called the “winter vomiting disease,” is spreading rapidly across the United States. This stomach virus is highly contagious and easily spreads through contaminated food, water, surfaces, or close contact with someone infected. Worse still? Rest and hydration are the only ways to ride out the virus, as there isn’t a medicinal fix, and many remain contagious after symptoms have dissolved.
Health professionals recommend washing hands thoroughly and often because hand sanitizer alone won’t kill this virus. Additional protocols include washing produce, ensuring meat is cooked thoroughly, and staying home for at least two days after symptoms have resolved.
As someone who fought this virus late last winter, I will tell you that few things compare. My husband and I came down with it within minutes of one another, and we were in a hotel with one bathroom… talk about miserable. The worst part was that the vomiting was so rapid I couldn’t catch my breath. I truly couldn’t breathe. It was a bit scary.
Needless to say, the Garland household doesn’t take the Norovirus lightly, and as Christians called to honor our bodies and our neighbors, it’s important to consider: When illness strikes unexpectedly, how can our faith shape our response — not just in caring for ourselves, but in protecting others with compassion, responsibility, and love?
Why Does God Allow Sickness?
It’s only natural for humans to question why bad things happen, and especially to those who try to honor God and love others. So it makes sense when we want to question the reason behind sickness of any kind, even a nasty stomach bug.
Sometimes, God is using our hardships so others can see His glory shine through us, and other times, I truly believe, we are simply experiencing something horrible as the result of a fallen world. When Adam and Eve rejected God as their ultimate authority, they left the world in the hands of creatures bent toward the curse of sin, evil, destruction, and even sickness.
I know this isn’t a pretty answer to pad your hard times, and it doesn’t make hope and faith feel good. However, this hard-to-swallow theological truth is what makes hope and faith real. Times of sickness give us a reason to look forward to a time and place when we are eternally healed and whole, when sickness ceases to exist, and when we are reunited with loved ones who went before us in their faith, even when sickness claimed their lives too soon for our hearts to accept.
Consider these verses as you weather sickness of any kind:
“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord…” Jeremiah 30:17 (NIV)
“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.” Malachi 4:2 (NIV)
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also, he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” Revelation 21:4-5 (ESV)
Healing the Body, Heart, and Spirit
When we recall Christ’s healing ministry on earth, it was, indeed, miraculous and divine and instant. His touch was enough to immediately destroy sickness and death. But what I love about Jesus’ method for healing, even when instant, is how He intentionally revealed the beauty of healing. Though He didn’t need time to heal, He chose time to express the importance of the total healing process.
I think about the woman with the blood issue who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Consider this miracle in Luke 8:46-48 (NIV): “But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.’ And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him, declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’”
Jesus knew He had healed someone the moment He was touched, and in such a crowd, He could have simply continued walking about, knowing she had been healed and that He, in theory, had “done His job.” Regardless, Jesus stopped everyone in the crowd to observe this woman, to truly see her, and to let her know that not only had her physical problem been healed, but her heart had been made whole. Her faith in His ability to heal the physical had also healed the spiritual.
Christ’s mission has never been simply fixing an earthly problem; it’s always been healing a spiritual problem. Christ’s healing is thorough and whole, no matter His methods. When you are in Christ, restoration will always be the end of your story.
A Call to Consider Others First
I will never forget my first winter as a mama, when my baby was only months old. It seemed each time I got on social media, another family I knew with a baby was headed to the hospital because their little one was battling RSV and couldn’t breathe. I was terrified, afraid to go anywhere. Truthfully, a piece of my fear still feels justified, as I recall the few times I was brave enough to get out with my little one, only for strangers to walk up and touch his hands and get in his face without asking.
In seasons of sickness, especially fall and winter, it’s dire that we consider others. New mothers don’t want you touching and kissing their babies, even if you feel fine. Those caring for elderly parents want the same respect. Others can’t afford to get sick because they live paycheck to paycheck and can’t provide for their families if they are forced to take time off.
It’s true that the sick season is also the holiday season, when many of us want to beat the winter blues by getting out to attend all the parties and social events. And there is nothing wrong with that. But when you know you don’t feel well, when that sniffle is accompanied by extreme fatigue and a sore throat, consider not only your body and its subtle plea that you slow down and heal, but the needs of others who can’t battle sickness as well as you.
Believers and nonbelievers alike recognize the significance and beauty of the Golden Rule Christ shared in Matthew 7:12 (NIV): "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
It’s easy to be stubborn and selfish; it’s only our nature. But when we don’t feel well and have the means to stay home, let’s consider this as less of a “missing out” and more of an opportunity to serve others. Let this be a time when we truly rest and allow God to work on not only our bodies but our hearts.
Let Illness Slow You Down Long Enough to Hear from God
Our culture isn’t keen on healing because it’s often a total-body process that doesn’t happen when we want it to. But perhaps that’s the point, the opportunity for God to force us to rest so we can seek Him and swallow that bit of pride that wants us to believe we are invincible and can do all the things, all the time.
As the Norovirus sweeps across the country, I pray you not only take care of your body by going the extra mile where hygiene is concerned, but that you live in this season without fear because you have trusted in the healing of the Savior and recognize your calling to look out for the well-being of others.
Stay safe and healthy, friends!
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Kateryna Onishchuk
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