Spreading My Germs

Despite my wicked cough that sounds much worse than it actually is; I woke up at 7:00 AM excited for a morning filled with my favorite thing: Jesus. (coffee is a close second)  Sunday mornings are the only mornings I welcome being awake before daylight and Sundays are the only day I make my bed with a smile on my face.  In fact, I am in an exceptionally good mood on Sundays because I know that God attends my church regularly and I love to watch Him work in the lives of His children and I love to feel Him beside me as I worship Him. I know I have already told you (numerous times I am sure) but my absolute favorite thing to do is worship God. I love to worship Him so much that today when I was leaving my Sunday school classroom, headed directly to the bathroom, (my bladder can only hold 4 cups of coffee for so long); I changed my route because I heard our praise team staring worship. My bladder was telling me Jay go to the bathroom please but my heart was telling me Jay you love this song, go sing and dance please.  As I walked through the doors to my sanctuary, I said, “Lord allow my bladder to make it until we do announcements” and I sang my way to my seat. As I was in my own world singing and dancing to two of my favorite songs; I began to cough. And apparently my coughing was noticeable to those around me(I said I was only paying attention to the music) because as soon as my youth pastor said to greet one another than man in front of me turned around and said, “I don’t want what you have.”  Since I hadn’t paid any attention to my coughing or my germ spreading (Yes, I did cover my mouth) I thought he was talking about the Holy Spirit that surrounds me when I am worshiping God. As I was thinking of a Christ like response, he noticed my thought process because he very quickly said, “No ma’am I meant your cold.” I started laughing and knew I had just added to my big screen appearances in Heaven. I moved down a seat and headed to the bathroom. My bladder really hated me after my mid church service bout of laughter.

Thanks to my best friend Amy, I am somewhat of a germaphob. I eat Vitamin C drops regularly and I wash my hands 50-300 times a day. And I especially don’t like to sit by someone who has audible and visible signs of sickness. But I never have a phobia of the Holy Spirit. And if I have to “catch” something I most definitely want it to be the Spirit of God. When I see or hear the first sign of the Holy Spirit, I don’t run away; I push my way to the source. And when I am filled with the Holy Spirit (which is every Sunday friends) I want people to catch what I have. I want those around me to feel the love of Jesus and be so overcome with His presence that they too become filled with the Holy Spirit. I want my symptoms in Christ to be contagious. I want to spread the joy, peace, fulfillment, and truth that only comes through the spirit of God. I want people to know that Jesus is all around them even when they can’t see Him. I want people to hear Him speaking to them even when my singing voice (and coughing) is the only audible sound they hear. I want others to have what I have inside my heart. Have you allowed yourself to have the Holy Spirit? Have you caught the contagious disease I like to call being completely in love with Jesus? Or are you afraid of catching a glimpse or taste of the Holy Spirit? If you haven’t experienced the Holy Spirit; take time today and spend it alone with God. Talk to Him and I mean truly talk to Him. Allow Him to speak to you and make Himself known to you. And when you hear from Him; you will know why my favorite thing to do is enter the presence of God and worship Him with every ounce of my being.  (And you will know how my favorite Steelers fan is able to dance as much as she does on Sunday mornings)

When I returned from the bathroom, the man sitting in front of me had moved. He didn’t move because of my sickness or because of the Holy Spirit that was dancing all around me; He moved to go sit with someone else. Since he moved, I didn’t have to spend time worrying about spreading my germs to anyone else; I could spend all of my time and energy spreading Jesus.

Verse to remember: Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost came they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues at the Spirit enabled them.