Flu Shots…and Other Precautions

It’s that time of year again. Time to roll up your sleeve and offer the fleshy part of your upper arm to your local flu shot provider. Admittedly, nobody enjoys getting a shot, but some folks certainly protest more than others. Don and I got ours the other day, and let’s just say Don carried on a bit :)

Don’s never liked needles. I should have realized he’d never be a big help in medical situations when he nearly passed out during our blood tests for our marriage license :) Since then, he’s made a point of trying to be out of the room any time needles enter the picture. How they ever talked him into volunteering to run the bloodmobile on campus is a mystery to me. As senior biology instructor, I’m guessing the pressure to prove his biological prowess was pretty intense. I’m also guessing he manages to be busy doing other things when the nurse inserts the needle :) Believe it or not, he’s even worked up to giving blood himself the past several years.

Amazingly, Don is also willing to get a flu shot with me every year. Since he doesn’t want his students to miss any of his famous (or should I say infamous?) lectures, he does his best to avoid getting a bad case of the flu. We’re both big believers in the flu shot in fact. Probably all it takes to make a person a believer is having a full-blown case of it one time. I know that did it for me.

Flu shots are not the only precautions I take when cold and flu season roll around. I keep plenty of vitamin C on hand as well as a supply of zinc lozenges to start taking at the first hint of a scratchy throat or prickly nose. I wash my hands more often, and after being in public places, I reach for a little bottle of Germ-X I keep in the car. And of course, I try to stay away from sick people :) In short, I do my best to stay healthy, and from what I can tell, most everyone else is doing the same.

But what about our spiritual health? Are we taking any precautions to stay spiritually healthy? How do we fight the viruses of discouragement, apathy, bitterness, self-sufficiency, and the host of other things that threaten our souls? Do we ignore them, or do we surround ourselves with plenty of God’s Word and a healthy dose of prayer? Are we coming to God for regular cleansing and staying alert to little things out in the world we need to resist at a moment’s notice? Are we eager to spend time with other believers who will strengthen and encourage us? In short, are we doing our best to stay spiritually healthy?

I’d say it’s time, physically and spiritually, to practice some preventative medicine. What precautions are you taking? Are you a big believer in something in particular? Take a moment and share it with us — and then go get your flu shot :)

“…wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Proverbs 13:10b

p.s. I had Don’s permission to share his problem with needles :)

Flickr photo by Daniel Paquet

Comments

  1. Amen sister! (I am married to a man who passes out at the sight of needles…if blood tests had still be required when we married, I might be single.)

  2. Cheryl,
    Thanks for posting on my blog; I hope you’ll continue the conversations.

    Our oldest son passes out at the sight of blood and our youngest son gags at the first hint of a bad smell. What stories I have to tell at their wedding dinners HA!!
    FYI… I’m hosting a Candy Quiz tomorrow.
    Zoe

  3. For staying spiritually healthy, I try to stay in God’s Word. Not hours a day, but the simple consistency of minutes a day, and then thinking about it through the day has really made a difference.

  4. Like father, like daughter! It’s great that Dad is able to give blood though – I wish I could do that, but I would end up on the floor every time!

    And, I need to remember “like father, like daughter” phrase when it comes to my heavenly Father too, though I know I’m a longer way from being as similar to Him as I am to my earthly Dad. But I’m working on it!

  5. Gals, thanks for sharing your family’s needle and blood stories, too :)

    Renae, staying in God’s Word — the perfect prescription for staying spiritually healthy!

    Kristin, you’re becoming more like your heavenly Father every day. I sure do love you — and am so proud of you!

  6. I had the full-blown flu last year and the year before. Crazy, and not fun as I spent the rest of the year healthy and was surpised to get hit twice. Guess it’s time I line up for the flu shot. They are giving it at the local grocery store. I can pay for my groceries and get a shot at the same time. Works for me. : )

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