If you were following my blog back before Easter, you may remember that I gave up fear for Lent this year. In the past, I’ve given up things like candy and French fries, which, the day after Easter, I went right back to enjoying. But fear, I hoped, would be something I could continue to live without.
Of course, I can’t. But I have become more conscious of how it crops up in my life. I try not to say things like, “I’m afraid this cake is going to stick to the pan.” Or “I’m afraid we haven’t saved enough for retirement.” And I’m working on identifying what frightens me so I can tackle it head on.
So, when I went in for my annual check-up, I knew my doctor would probably for the umpteenth time, suggest I get a T-DAP shot. I had politely declined over and over, which she apparently failed to note in my file. Or maybe she did note it with a big red circle to indicate that she needed to keep after me.
Now, it’s not the needle that scares me. It’s the stuff that squirts through the needle to lodge somewhere under my flesh and have who knows what effect on me. I mean, it’s viruses. Dead or no, this just seems like asking for trouble.
But honestly, a shot that can protect me from tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping-cough is probably I good thing. Which is scarier: getting a shot that almost certainly won’t hurt me or walking around in a world where diseases are making a resurgence? Sigh. So when she asked me, I said, “sure,” all light-hearted like it was no big deal.
I got the shot. And other than feeling like I’d done a few extra reps with some hand weights the next day nothing happened. I didn’t have some weird reaction. I didn’t get whooping-cough. I didn’t even think about it much.
Did God want me to get a T-DAP shot? I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure he didn’t want me to agonize over whether or not to get one every time I went in for a check-up. I’m pretty sure there are other places he can use all that energy I waste being afraid.
Meet Sarah
I’m not one given to fear, which maybe is an underlying symptom of FLAMING cluelessness, but I’m just not like that.
Buy, I do have occasional bouts of Irrational Scenario-itis. As in “John is 3 minutes late, I bet the bridge collapsed on the highway!” But only once in a while. And as punishment, I replay the scenes in my head. And laugh. Sorta.
*NEVER EVER get your yellow fever shot the same time as your Twinrex. Your arm and neck will feel like they weigh 1000 pounds.
There’s a yellow fever shot?!?
Yes, I have to get it every 7 years or whatever it is, for trips to Bolivia.
what is twinrex?
Fear, faith, common sense–these are all important elements of our walk. For instance, going hiking? We should fear snakes since they can harm us, yet we should have faith God will protect us, and possess common sense to act with circumspect if hiking where there are snakes. Fear is not necessarily a bad thing; it’s what we do with it that is the problem.
Amen! God hard-wired us with fear as a safety mechanism. It’s when we let it take over that it gets to be a problem.
I’ve seen two rattlesnakes so far this year, but they were both dead. I try not to be thankful when things die, but it’s hard not to appreciate a dead rattlesnake!
you saw rattlesnakes where?!
Just up the road from our driveway.