Ouch – I Sneezed

Oh, it may not reach the top ten sneezes of all times. It probably won’t even get on the headlines. But this morning, I sneezed and my world changed. 

First, some back story …

The history of sneezing goes way back. The Bible mentions it in 2 Kings 4:35 when a boy, believed to be dead, visited by Elisha, sneezes 7 times and opens his eyes. Bazinga! Early Greeks saw sneezing as a holy sign of great importance. No other air from the body was as holy and originating in the divine organ that contains the spirit. Some like Hippocrates, famed doctor, saw it as beneficial but also connected it to various diseases like epilepsy.

Middle Ages saw the sneeze connected to evil. Some saw the sneeze as a expulsion of evil spirits. Thus, to say ‘God bless you” was to say a prayer for the sneezer and the ones sneezed upon. Indians saw sneezing as beneficial and used herbs to induce sneezing. Can you say tobacco snuff?

Etymologocally, the word means breath hard. In the Bible, sometimes it translates a word ‘snorting’ and other times ‘sneezing.’

One interesting work, says your sneeze identifies your personality. Introverts have timid sneezes, like kittens. An outgoing person will sneeze like a loud explosive.  Sneezes are unique. They even tried to connect sneeze style to … well intimacy style, or in the words of jazz singer Eddie Cantor, making whoopee. Yeah, people have too much time on their hands. Sneezes and S## – probably a study paid for by federal grants – too much.

There are famous sneezes – like those of Donna Griffiths who sneezed constantly for over. a year – or Beyonce, who when she sneezed, the entire room got quiet and worried. Then there are famous movie sneezes like in Major Payne or Sneezy in Snow White.

So, back to my sneeze. I normally sneeze really loud or try to hold it in. Pollen is really bad right now, so my sneezing is up. This morning, I sneezed – and I sneezed hard.  I sneezed so hard I literally heard my upper spine pop and had immediate pain. It’s been hours – and with multiple ibuprofen intakes – I can almost stand up without shouting out profanity. It really hurts.

I have a bad back already. And now, I await my wife to come home from work and massage my back. Fortunately, it is Monday and I am kind of off work.

Life is full of pain – sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, sometimes relational. Life is full of pain.

But God, He is the great healer. The Jehovah Rapha. I trust  Him in all discomfort, with my back and with all else. 

In the words of Reuban Morgan and Joel Houston, God is my Healer …

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You
I believe You’re my healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You’re my portion
I believe You’re more than enough for me
Jesus, You’re all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

Do you have pain? Do you need to know the Healer? He is the only real healer. And He is knowable.