Although the media and drug companies make it seem like every little virus or illness will kill you, that’s not true. As a matter of fact you shouldn’t fear sickness at all.

Growing up I don’t ever remember being scared of sickness. Sure, it felt rotten to throw up. No, it wasn’t fun to have the chicken pox on Easter. Yearly ear infections were definitely an annoyance for me.

But sickness was never something that caused fear. Everyone gets sick. You get through it and move on.

Sick Babies

Fast-forward to when I became a mom almost eleven years ago. I still didn’t have a fear of sickness. But when my oldest was about nine months old she got her first real illness. A bug that was going around.

She was so stuffy that she couldn’t nurse. She didn’t take bottles. I was scared.

Then after a few days she was lethargic and not very responsive. I panicked. We took her to the ER. They tried to do an IV, but couldn’t get it in. They did a chest x-ray.

Diagnosis…gas. She had a painful belly full of gas from mouth breathing and not eating much. It was scary in the moment. But once we knew the reason our fears subsided. And of course she got over it.

Ever since then I’ve had some anxiety related to sickness. Especially when I have a baby in the house. Any time an older child gets sick I immediately panic, worrying the baby will catch it.

For the past eleven years I have been scared of sickness.

Why You Shouldn’t Fear Sickness

Until this year.

This year the fear of sickness has disappeared.

We have had some viruses through the winter. And each time it hasn’t bothered me one bit, even though we do have a little one. And yes, he has caught some of the bugs too.

What’s the difference? My knowledge of the truth.

Last year the kids and I studied anatomy and physiology. Even an elementary-level science book can tell you how the body fights illness.

And as a Christian I believe God designed our bodies so perfectly that they can heal themselves and recover from illness. We are the problems. Not God’s creation.

• We have covered our food in toxins like glyphosate.
• We have raised our kids on a diet of processed, fake “food.”
• We have polluted our waters and our homes with chemicals.
• We have thought we know best by using more and more drugs to override our body’s natural defense mechanisms.
• We have tried to sanitize our world and eliminate exposure to germs.
• We have created genetically engineered “food” to try to make something superior to what God gave us.

We (humans) have messed up big time. And we don’t even know how things are supposed to work anymore.

How the Body Heals and Benefits From Sickness

When you are sick, you get a fever. That is a defense mechanism. The body generates heat to kill the virus, bacteria, foreign invader. But we are told to immediately medicate and stop a fever…because fevers are “scary.”

Sickness is like exercise for the immune system. It’s GOOD FOR YOU to get sick once in a while. But we are told to try to avoid sickness at all costs…because sickness is “scary.” In reality you should try to care for your body daily so that when you do get sick it is just a mild workout.

Have you ever taken note of how you feel after you have been sick? I just got over a weekend of mastitis. If you’ve ever dealt with it, you know it’s no walk in the park. But now that it is over I feel amazing! You never know if there are idle viruses or bacteria in your body causing a bit of irritation. Getting sick and having a fever can wipe them all out. You get a fresh start. God’s perfect design in action…if we don’t stop it.

If we try to avoid sickness as much as possible we’ll end up sicker than ever. Our immune systems won’t be maintained, and we won’t be able to fight when the inevitable sickness finally does hit.

Bottom line – It is HEALTHY to GET SICK.

Let that sink in. It is good for you to get sick. Not scary. Healthy.

What You Should “Fear”

What is not good for you?

• Chemicals
• Toxins
• Heavy metals
• Pesticides
• Lack of fresh air and sunshine
• Lack of movement/a sedentary life
• Too much stress
• EMF exposure
• Lack of quality sleep
• Feedlot animals
• Genetically modified food

I’m sure the list could go on. But you get the idea. We have tried to manipulate God’s beautiful creation and this is where it has gotten us. Our children are sicker and more diseased than ever before. So why do people think we need MORE drugs and MORE manipulation?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. It’s not going to happen. If we want our children to get healthier we need to change our strategy.

We Need Truth

My kids and I were just studying the Renaissance in history. It was a beautiful description of an awakening…an awakening where people started thinking for themselves instead of blindly following the crowd.

Long-standing beliefs about the world and how it worked were challenged (think Galileo and Copernicus). The scientific method was created…to keep learning and adjusting our views. Not to claim that anything is settled. If science could be settled then we would have no more need for research and learning. We’d still be using leaches for medical treatment and prescribing cigarettes. But it doesn’t work that way. Science is NEVER settled. We always have more to learn. And sometimes it is the exact opposite of what we’ve been doing.

I truly believe we need another Renaissance.

Be Fearless

The idea for this post came to me while feeding and rocking my little guy in nursery at church yesterday. My mind was whirling with all of the insanity about taking away our freedoms – our freedom of speech, our freedom to parent how we choose, our freedom of religion, our freedom to choose medical treatment.

And as I was thinking about it and praying about it God laid it on my heart to write this. And I did as soon as I was home and my son was napping! I learned in a Bible study years ago that when the Holy Spirit nudges, you should act immediately. If not you’ll find excuses and get too busy to act on it. So I’m acting.

Over the last few years He has told me over and over to BE FEARLESS. And it dawned on me that fear is exactly what the devil is using to destroy our nation right now. Satan is sneaky. He will make you think you are doing the right thing while feeding you lies.

The past few weeks every time I get in the car I hear songs about fear and its (his) lies. Every time I open my email I see my daily devotional and it is about fear and worry.

Every time I get on social media or watch tv I see the drug companies using fear to manipulate people into making poor choices.

The devil is smart. Make no mistake. He knows exactly how strong fear is.

• Fear is the opposite of trust.
• Fear is the opposite of worship.
• Fear is the opposite of peace.
• Fear is the opposite of truth.
• Fear is Satan’s tool to destroy God’s creation and create discourse between his people.

Don’t fall for it!

Look for Truth

When you hear that there are measles outbreaks and that measles is a deadly disease, don’t fear. Neither is true. Stop the panic and look for the truth. There are a few cases this year…just like every other year. HERE is data directly from the CDC with number of cases per year (please take a look). Facts. Does it look like there is a new measles epidemic to you? I personally don’t see the need for so much hysteria with fewer cases than last year.

And we use the term “outbreak” because it is a strong word. But an “outbreak” can mean as few as THREE cases. That’s like saying if three out of four of my kids has a cold there is an outbreak in my house. So when you hear that there is a “measles outbreak,” don’t start to panic. Look for the truth. According to a CDC data sheet from 2016, the “outbreaks” that year “ranged in size from 6 to 32 cases.” In a country with billions of people do you think 32 people with an illness is worth widespread panic?

Measles is not a deadly disease to be feared. In most people it is a very mild sickness. The percentage of deaths from measles is so low that is almost ZERO. In a country with millions of people, when ONE person dies of an illness in a year, should that incite panic for the entire population? You have a better chance of being killed by getting in your car and driving today. But you don’t panic about that, do you? It’s irrational fear. NOT truth. Based on the CDC and VAERS here are some statistics you should see (if you want actual facts and not just fear-based hype).

When I was growing up everyone got chicken pox. Nobody was scared of it. So why are you scared now? The illness has not changed. Just our perception of it.

Does everyone panic when kids get strep throat, pink eye or hand, foot, mouth disease? Do we say there are outbreaks? No. Yet there are far more cases of those illnesses than measles every year. Illogical fear. Not truth.

Let’s put an end to this madness! You shouldn’t fear sickness. That is a lie that Satan is spreading.

Satan is the Liar

But you know what? He’s scared too. He knows that God is so much bigger and more powerful than he is. The devil knows his schemes can’t change God’s plans.

Satan is so scared right now. He’s throwing everything he’s got at us. He’s trying to create a culture of panic and fear.

Let’s all tell him loud and clear, “NOT TODAY, SATAN!” Take your fear and get out of here.

I struggled with anxiety for many, many years. I worked with a psychologist for over ten years to work through it. The treatment is called cognitive behavioral therapy. It is basically combating fears with truth. Fear is another word for lie.

My doctor had me make two columns on a piece of paper. On one side I wrote my fears…the lies that were in my head. On the other side I wrote what was actually true. Then I read them over and over until the I started believing the truth instead of the lies. I used logical thinking to see what was reality and what was just irrational fear.

When we know the truth, the lies are powerless. The truth truly will set you free. Free from fears. Free from worry.

So when fear is the driving force behind decisions and actions take a step back. Search for truth (and quickly, before it is all censored). When you know the truth, the lies can’t control you.

Let’s put an end to Satan’s lies and the fears they generate.

I truly believe the devil didn’t even want me to write this post. Saturday my site totally broke. That has never happened before. Thankfully I know amazing people that can help (check out The Blog Fixer!). This morning I’ve been dealing with a fussy baby earlier than he usually wakes up. I’m supposed to be working right now. I have so many new projects and usually get started first thing Monday morning. But I’m spending my time here. I am not deterred.

God is good. God is all powerful. God’s creation is amazing. We don’t need more and more drugs to be healthy. We need better care for our environment and our bodies, our holy temples. We need to live the way God intended.

When we stop fearing sickness, we can get back to thinking clearly about how to support our bodies with real food, proper rest, an active life and time outside in God’s creation. We can support and love each other instead of spreading hatred.

Fear is a liar. Don’t fear sickness. The truth is that God created our bodies to handle sickness. It is a beautiful and amazing thing to witness. Feed on God’s truth and God’s Word. Not the fears of our sinful world.

Does fear play a part in how you view sickness? Could seeking more information and finding truth relieve those fears?