My Miraculous Healing

One family joke goes like this: "We don't know who will be the first one to barf on any given trip, but we all know who will be the second!" This is a reference to the fact that I suffer from sympathetic stomach disorder.

I don't know when it started, but I suspect it might have been back when I had morning sickness with my first pregnancy. Like many other mothers-to-be, I would get actively sick at certain smells. The worst was the smell of B-complex, which was included in a packet of daily vitamins I took prenatally. It was so bad that I began gagging even when I heard the sound of the cellophane wrapper, which I associated with the smell of vitamins, which in turn reminded me of the many mornings I had barfed up that same taste and smell.

Once I was in a grocery store, and some innocent customer made the fatal mistake of rattling something that sounded like a package of vitamins, which was enough to send me racing for the washroom at the far back of the store, where I deposited my breakfast in an embarrassingly less-than-lady-like fashion.

As a substitute teacher in those early months, I became instant acquaintances with whatever teacher was across the hall, knowing that as soon as the classroom of stinky armpit-smelling children came in after recess, I would have to make a hasty retreat for the ladies room.

Many years later, I still told these stories, and continued to succumb to a "weak stomach" - particularly when it came to other people getting sick within my hearing, sight, or heaven forbid - smell. I'll never forget sitting at my kitchen table having tea with my friend Lila when one of my little ones came in looking very green. Knowing what was coming, I made a dash to provide a stainless steel barf bowl, which was immediately put to good use. Lila, who had always wondered if perhaps my "weak stomach stories" were a bit exaggerated, nonetheless inquired how she might help. While gagging involuntarily, I sputtered, "Get me another bl...eh, get me another bl...eh, GET ME ANOTHER BOWL!"

We've laughed over this through the years, and rejoiced whenever the kids timed their sicknesses while Daddy was home to help them out less sympathetically than Mom. Then one day I heard a sermon that really struck home. I can't remember the scripture reference, but I somehow became convicted that I should no longer boast over the weakness of my flesh, but I should ask God to strengthen me and help me to overcome this debilitating and ridiculous problem.

Since then, I have been healed! Not once have I shared a basin with a sick child. I haven't even gagged when cleaning up the nastiest episodes of stomach flu. With Jon E's recent head injury, he filled six or more (see-through!) ziplock bags with "you know" - and I did not require even one for myself! I say this, not to gross you out or cause your own bout of sympathetic stomach disorder, but to encourage you to ask God to remove this malady if it afflicts you. It makes you wonder how much needless suffering we endure simply because we never thought to pray.