Transparent Tuesday - Here We Go Again

 I remember it like it was a few months ago... Oh, wait... it was.

William called me on the phone from his bedroom. It was a Sunday and Carl and I were out running errands. He told me that he felt bad. I was like, "What kind of bad?" He responded with the dreaded words in our country today. "I have a fever and a headache. I am coughing and just feel awful." I sighed and told him that we would be right home.

We flew home and indeed he had a fever but his main complaint was that he was having a hard time breathing. It set off a whirlwind of activity for the next day. Carl called his work to let them know and so did Esther and Nathan. All three places of employment said not to come in to work. 

We drove down to the Army base with William to be seen and tested. Esther had come to us on Sunday too and informed us that she thought she had poison ivy. She is highly allergic and it goes systemic. She does not even have to physical touch it. If she touches a shirt with the oils or hugs someone who has the oils on them she gets a sever reaction. Since she had been exposed near her eye they told us to come in but to go to the ER since she might have been exposed to COIVD. 

We sat in the ER and Esther, William, and I got tested. Esther got steroids for her poison ivy. They sent us home with instructions for William to self isolate and for the rest of us to quarantine. That is easier said than done with 10 people living under one roof. 

We made it work though. William's test came back positive (stupid Sheetz - that is where he works and it was the only place he had been over the past two weeks.) No one else got sick. The lady from the health department was astonished. We did what we were supposed to do. Nathan and Carl both got tested at the end of the quarantine period and both tested negative. Life went back to normal.

As Christians who believe in the sovereignty of God we have no fear over this virus. God is in control and he does not make mistakes. He protected our family when William got sick. We are so thankful for that. 

Life continued as normal (well, as normal as it can be in today's world.) 

That was until last night. 

Esther worked a double shift yesterday and when she came home she went straight to her bedroom. I heard her come downstairs and she flew into my room. "I can't smell anything and my taste is off." I was reading a book on theology at the time so I was concentrating hard and had to ask her to repeat herself. When she did I sighed. God immediately reminded me that He is in control. Carl and I told her to let her boss know and we would handle it all after a good nights sleep. Carl spent time online and on the phone trying to figure out where to go. The testing site on base is only testing those who do not have any symptoms (what?). The website says not to come in but to call and talk to a provider (what?). We could not figure out where to get tested if you do have symptoms (Ugh!!!). He finally got a hold of someone who said to go to the urgent care on base. 

So that is where they are right now. 

I am trying not to panic right now. We were just over my parent's house for Christmas. Did Esther expose my immunocompromised parents? Do the other working children need to get tested? We were all at church on Sunday.  All the thoughts I had when William got sick came rushing back this morning. Even thoughts of anger as Esther revealed to me that a co-worker has been coming to work every day  knowing that they could possibly have COVID (no taste or smell and congestion). This person told her that they needed the money so they did not tell anyone. What?!!!!!! I wanted to go on a rant about masks and vaccines and people making unwise decisions but God reminded that HE is in control. 

I read my Bible and wrote my scripture and read my devotional books like any other morning. And listened to my fireplace YouTube video with sounds of crackling wood (so calming). I was nice and toasty by the fireplace heater my parents bought me for Christmas. It was a comfort to me as I wrote and read about how good God is to us. 

God directed me to quote by Charles Spurgeon.

"There is no need to fear. Nervousness is wickedness when 'the eternal God is a dwelling place, underneath are the everlasting arms' (Deuteronomy 33:27a). 

Better to have poverty and feel His presence than to own the world's riches and not know He is there. Remember 'Surely the LORD is in this place.'"

Oh, how good He is that even in the midst of a pandemic, He is giving us peace. He is still in control and nothing happens that takes Him my surprise. He is here! What an amazing thing to grasp that He is sovereign. Praise the Lord.