Yes, it is true. The sickness hit me. Fast and furious like a thunderbolt, or perhaps the world's fastest eater, (Joey Chestnut, 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes). Why do I know who the fastest eater is? I googled "Top 25 fast things" because, to be frank, I could think of nothing. Yesterday, during my last hour at work, (Antique Plaza), I began feeling extremely dizzy. I tried to shake it off and proceeded to eat a doughnut...perhaps one of my more idiot moments, and felt, much, much worse. I came home and walked, er- hobbled to the couch and collapsed. After 5 hours of fever, chills, soup, an over-protective dog, rice, a caring mother who made me constantly drink water, meds, a father who watched "Pride and Prejudice" with me, and a ton of prayer, I now feel around 96.3% better. But what did I learn from the past 24 hours? Here are 3 random, and slightly obvious realizations that struck me this past day.
1. I am turning 18 this year.
What the heck?! Right? Deep realization I know. People ask me if I want to do big things with my life. I say "Yes, of course! But I also want to do small things with great love." (Mother Teresa). When I think about turning 18, I think of "responsibility," I think of "ownership," but I also think about "reckless abandon for the gospel". I want young adults everywhere to be passionate about not only the gospel itself, but the act of spreading the gospel. I want to be excited for the future, not because of the blessings God has in store, but because I have the joy of being in a relationship with him. I don't want to prepare myself for an easy life. I want to equip myself for a life on a mission.
2. I have the strangest dreams when I am sick.
Right now you are probably going, "Ha! I bet the dreams aren't that bad."
Well...Ha!...
Last night I had a dream about math equations...MATH EQUATIONS. For those who don't know me, I dislike math. Yet, after tossing and turning for two hours, I awoke with a start at 3 in the morning, having the distinct urge to grab my paper and calculator and get to work. The equations that I remember were based on this theory of how to tell if someone was lying or not. I'm sure I could create some analogical reason for how this relates to my life, but all I can think of is Veggie Tales. But bravo, lying detection equations- you have made it on my list of fears, along with:
a.) Cockroaches
b.) Alligators
c.) Flamingos
d.) Elevators
e.) Makeup tutorials
3. I need my parents.
If there is one thing I have learned from the past 24 hours, it is how dependent I am on my parents. During the teen years I believe we all have tried to pull the, "I'm independent" card. Yet, nothing rips the independent cloak down faster than a illness; where suddenly all you want to do is crawl into your mom's lap and moan. I read this quote the other day and found it very sobering.
"Love your parents. We are so busy growing up, we often forget they are also growing old." -Unknown
Why does it take something like getting sick to make me realize how much I need my parents? Short answer: Pride. The same is true for my spiritual walk. Why does it take something like a tragedy to bring me to my knees? Again, I believe the short answer is, "Pride". This upcoming week I pray that God would reveal to me more and more my own pride; and that a love and appreciation for my parents rooted in Christ would grow as well.
So, there you are! Three things I have learned in the past 24 hours of my ailment. Thanks to everyone who prayed for me to get better. I appreciated it a ton! Now, let's tackle this week!
-Gracie
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