World News Wednesday: Ebola

First of all, for those of you who don't know, Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids by an Ebola virus, whose normal host species is unknown.

The disease has been a problem in West Africa for decades, but now that it has spread to our soil, it seems like we are finally giving this crisis the attention that it deserves. The US Government donated $750 million dollars to fund a 6 month mission to fight Ebola at a known source; coincidentally, West Africa. 

That's reassuring. 

Meanwhile, as the world continues its struggle to contain the epidemic, the CDC warns us that we have 60 days to get this under control. Read More. And if we don't, we are faced with a challenge that we are not prepared to handle.  

This was not meant to scare anyone!!

I just feel that it is important to stay informed in ordered calmly prepare ourselves, and as a reminder to be careful. I always recommend that if you are really paranoid about something, do some research about it. Fear can sometimes stem from not knowing what you are up against. 

Personally, I don't think we have anything to worry about. I know that we can get this under control, and I am grateful that people are taking it seriously. 

However, history is being made, yet again, during our life time.

We should be aware of that.

What "They" Don't Want YOU to Know

Today's pop culture has a problem of perspective. The world is trying to convince us to live for ourselves. Messages like "Do what makes you happy." Are accepted and shared and encouraged over and over again. 

But what happens when "what make you happy" is destructive to yourself or others? What if you like to cut yourself? What if you like to shoot BB pellets at animals?
If the message is, "do what makes you happy" then what makes those things wrong? Who then gets to decide what is acceptable and what is not?

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians shows us that the Corinthian society had the same problem. (Follow the link to find out what made Corinth like us) 

They were all about gaining knowledge and wisdom, but they were not focusing on the right kind of philosophy. They had no idea how to fulfill their needs, so they looked for pleasure in all the wrong places. In 1 Corinthians 2:8 we see that even most leaders of the ancient world were lost.

If you continue reading 1 Corinthians 2 you will find the key to the fulfillment that we have all been looking for. The greatest thing about God is not heaven or all of the blessing that he can give you. It is the fact that he chose to reveal himself through Jesus. He could have left us to our sin. If he had this world would be a much darker place. But because he didn't, ALL things work together for good. 

Even things that we don't/can't/won't understand. 

We can see evidence of Him and his love for all livings things all around us through nature and we can see examples of His greatness and power through the Universe and laws of science.

The fact is that God wants all of us to know Him like He knows us. He wants us to accept the gift of salvation and be filled spiritually. 

He wants us all to experience the peace and rest that we can ONLY find through Jesus. 

Because He loves us, He gave us free will. He wants us to come to Him because we want to out of love, not because we have to. He gave each and every person on Earth the freedom to make a choice.

Now that you know the truth, what will you do about it?

Overcoming the Pain

(Picture of Pedro and me after getting baptized)

As I read over my last blog post, I realized that I skimmed over the general situation, but I never really explained how I managed to not be swallowed by the extreme discomfort that I have been feeling for the past several days. 

As many of you know, I am Christian. I attend church regularly and I enjoy volunteering as a Sunday School Teacher Helper every other month. I am only explaining this because my faith in Jesus Christ is what helped me to overcome that terrible situation. 

There were moments when there was nothing else that would get through mind. I would be in agony, wondering when it was going to be over and if the worst part was yet to come.

It all changed one day when I was laying on the couch. The window was open and a delightful breeze filled the apartment, and Nico was playing happily in front of me. The sky was its regular shade of impossible blue, and I remember thinking, "What a beautiful day to be in excruciating pain." In Puerto Rico, weather can vary. Some days can be sticky and hot, while others can be rainy and windy. But on occasion, there is a nearly perfect day. The wind blows just enough, the sun is hot burning too hot, and there is peace and calm in the air. 

Of all the days for me to get sick, it happened to be on a perfect day. As I continued to think about it, I realized that God was doing things and setting things up so that I could recover in the best way possible. In those moments of pain it was extremely difficult to see, but in a moment of clarity, I found that I had so much to be thankful for, and that God would not forsake me. He sent me an amazing husband who cared for me and Nico in every way that we needed and more. He sent me a great baby who was never difficult or mean spirited. 

Most importantly though, I was grateful that I would not have to feel that way forever. I did not know why I was experiencing a miscarriage, but I did know that eventually I would feel better. I was so grateful that the pain was not my everyday reality and I felt like I needed to let Him know that. After I thanked Him, I realized that if he had the power to create the Universe and the compassion to breathe ecosystems into existence, then He certainly loves me enough to help me when I cry out to Him. 

I began to declare in His name that I was healed and I began to thank Him over and over for my wellness. Nothing worked better in healing me than praising the name of Jesus.