Praying for health

I’ve been doing it all my life.

The “prayer list” in the church bulletin–which the old men carried with them to the pulpit when they led prayers–was mostly sick people.

My little sister has Cystic Fibrosis, so our family prayed a lot for her health.

The last few days, I’ve been praying for my little boy’s health. He’s had an awful cold and cough that beat up my heart pretty bad.

My wife caught his cold, so I added her to my prayer list.

And finally, I started praying for my own health on Monday when I came down with the same crud.

Meanwhile, a Facebook friend’s young daughter is fighting cancer (and taking the beating that all cancer fighters take).

A friend of mine lost his 25-year old brother this week (I still don’t know the cause). Was it an accident or a health issue that suddenly overtook him?

Praying for health is a good and right thing to do. Sometimes it seems more good and right (like in the case of my little boy or my friend’s cancer-fighting daughter). I admit to feeling a little guilty for asking God to get rid of my cold when many people I know are fighting for survival itself.

What really strikes me as a pray for health is how much I take health for granted when I have it. On days when I feel normal I open my eyes, take a deep breath, put my feet on the floor, and go straight into my business. I occupy my mind with my to-do list or wish list for the day. I take health for granted. In fact, I sometimes abuse it.

It’s only when a cold or flu (or worse) comes along that I appreciate the gift and the joy of a healthful body.

My prayer this week is still for the healing of bodies everywhere (including my own).

A more important prayer, however, is that my heart and mind are more attentive, more diligent, more generous, more thankful, and more wise with the health I enjoy most days.

Onward and upward.