I have COVID.

I have COVID -19. Isn’t that something.

What was in the abstract is now an up-close and personal experience.

There is some kind of irony at work here. I wrote a course, COVID Crusher, some weeks ago. It was to encourage folks who are feeling the emotional and mental strain of COVID. Obviously, it isn’t going away anytime soon. The day the United States had it’s biggest single increase in new cases, I was one who contributed to that statistic. Now, besides the mental and emotional stress, I get to play with the physical side of things.

Oh, joys. I have COVID.

Here’s the story.

Monday, November 10, I noticed I had a really runny nose and a bad throat tickle. I got home from work and found that I had a low-grade fever.

I’d been that route before. Sinus infection. I recognized the symptoms

Tuesday I didn’t have any fever, but my nose and throat were giving me fits. So I went to our friendly Baptist clinic and got myself checked out. Diagnosis – sinus infection. Got a nice decongestant, some antibiotics, a cough suppressant, and a Decadron shot, which typically fixes me right up.

Wednesday. I sure didn’t feel any better. I thought if I blew my nose one more time my head would implode.

We were supposed to go on a little vacation Thursday through Sunday with Amy and Stone (daughter and son-in-law) and the two wonderful grandkids, Katherine and Levi. We were headed to Gatlinburg. Mountains. Fall colors. Dollywood. Cade’s Cove. We were pumped.

I dunno what spurred me on, but I thought – “I think I’ll get a COVID test.”

I did. That swab? I thought the nurse had hit my brain stem with that thing. My eyes watered for the rest of the day.

I went on home. Word was, “Check your patient portal. Your results will show up there. If you test positive, we’ll call you.”

Fine.

I checked my patient portal. It said I’d tested positive. About the time that sunk in, I got the confirming phone call.

Things got rearranged in a hurry in my mind. First was a weird mix of sorrow and gratitude. I wouldn’t get to go to Gatlinburg, but at least I wouldn’t be spreading death and corruption around.

Then, word was that I could look forward to 14 days in quarantine. I thought 10 days was traditional, but the doc that called me said, nope, we are learning we need to be really cautious.

This meant that Teresa would quarantine right along with me.

So it’s Day 3 in exile. I have no fever. No breathing problems, at least not yet. I feel perfectly wretched, though. I can’t find anything on me that doesn’t hurt. And this nose thing is driving me nuts. I wish I had stock in Kimberly-Clark.

Once my Daddy was asked, “Are you sick?” His was a typical Bill Martin response: “I sure hope I’m sick. I’d hate to feel like this and be well.”

I get that. I have COVID.

I got to thinking, too, about the numbers. The odds are really good that most folks wont get it. And the odds are even better that if you get it, you’ll survive. Most people recover at home.

Still, I knew five people that died in the span of a week.

I’ve also been thinking about the mask thing. I’m gonna drive down a stake right here.

Wear a mask.

I don’t know where I got COVID. It didn’t just spontaneously happen. I got it from another human.

Did said human know they had it? Did they flippantly go about their daily business like nothing was going on? Did they think the pandemic was all overblown, or some kind of government manipulation to strike fear in our collective hearts for some nefarious purpose? In their minds, is it all political?

Maybe to some degree. Regardless, I have COVID. I got it from someone. I don’t blame them if they were doing the best they could.

But just because something seems right to an individual doesn’t mean it’s right in reality.

History isn’t going to look kindly at how we managed this pandemic.

I have plenty of theories, but if you’re mind’s already made up, I’m not going to frustrate both of us by airing it all out.

So what does this all mean? Since I have COVID, what is God teaching me?

Here’s ten thoughts.

Could God have kept me from getting sick? I mean after all, I’ve been wearing a mask, washing my hands until bone shows, social distancing, all that. Did He mess up with me? Uh, no. Duh.
He could have kept me healthy. Actually, with just a word, He could absolutely end this pandemic. Boom. Ka-POW!
Which raises a question: Why doesn’t He?
Answer to #3? I don’t know. He does.
Does He want us to live in fear, cowering behind closed doors, sequestering ourselves in our sterile homes?
Answer to #5. No, He doesn’t want us to live in fear. “Fear not.” That’s kind of a mandate.
Comment on #6: There is a huge difference in being afraid and being prudent and wise. And considerate. Don’t forget considerate. I’m not going to consciously expose myself to a radiation leak from a nuclear reactor, for instance. (Yeah, that ‘s a tortured analogy.) Is that living in fear? Nope. That’s just smart.
God wants us to live our lives to the fullest. We are promised divine protection. But what does that look like?
Regarding #8: He protects us. But He doesn’t want us to be idiots just to make some kind of point.
Just be wise. Don’t let your default position be something like, “I am losing my freedoms. The Deep State is out to get me. It’s all a conspiracy by the Illuminati.” You get my point.

Once more, just to belabor the obvious:

I have COVID-19. But God’s got me.

I’d really like to get to hear what you have to say regarding this blog post. Comments are welcome!

(And by the way. That lovely self portrait you see is me out at our little RV, enjoying some fresh air and sunshine. See how happy I am?)