Swine Flu Response

Dear People,

There was once a woman who went to her doctor. She said, “Doctor, something is seriously wrong with me. I’m unusually tired, and I’ve been experiencing muscle weakness, headaches, and dizziness. I’m sure I’ve got fybromyalgia, and I’d like some medicine for it.”

The doctor said, “Well, let me take a look.” After giving the woman a full medical examination, the doctor explained the prescription as he wrote it out. “Take the green pill with two glasses of water when you get up. Take the blue pill with two glasses of water after lunch. Then just before bed, take the red pill with another two glasses of water.”

“So, exactly what is my problem, Doctor?” the woman asked.

The doctor replied, “You’re not drinking enough water.”

Tiredness, muscle weakness, headaches, and dizziness are in fact symptoms of fybromyalgia, but they are also symptoms of mild dehydration. Of course, a person can go online or open a textbook in order to self-diagnose. But when accuracy counts, it is best to get the perspective of a doctor! We seek expert advice for both the breadth of knowledge and the depth of perspective.

Proverbs 10:13 tells us, “On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found.” Discernment (or “understanding” as the KJV has it) comes from both experience and knowledge. In fact, the next verse in the Bible (Proverbs 10:14) says, “Wise men store up knowledge.” Proverbs tells us that when it comes to seeking advice, we should go to the person who has experience and knowledge. We should seek the counsel of someone who has stored up a wealth of relevant information to give a balanced and informed perspective.

Therefore, to whose advice do I give the most weight when, for example, considering the new strain of swine flu? I listen to a trusted doctor and to the advice of a broader community of doctors—not to my neighbor, a popular news anchor, or an old friend on facebook. I listen to doctors on this one because I am convinced that’s what God encourages us to do in situations like this.

That’s why I am not panicked about the swine flu right now because doctors right now are not panicked. Therefore, I’m just going to keep washing my hands frequently. As a church, we’re going to make sure that our buildings are clean like they need to be. As always, we’re going to encourage people who are sick to stay home from church and recover. We’re going to encourage people who have a fever or are feeling ill to call their doctor to see what they should do. We’re also going to have alcohol-based sanitizing gel available on Sunday mornings for people as they come in and leave. In other words, we’re just going to be conscientious to do what we should already be doing…just like we should be sure to drink enough water every day. The doctors I know tell me that there is as big a difference between forty-one American cases of swine flu and a real national emergency as there is between mild dehydration and fybromyalgia. Let’s not be too alarmed yet!

Peace,

Ernest