Lynn's Corner

Yesterday, you read my review of the book Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life by Karina Lumbert Fabian and her father, Deacon Steven Lumbert.  Today, I am honored to present the following post from Karina.  This is one woman I know God has awesome plans for!

Lynn

When You Get Mono of the Soul

By Karina Fabian

Have you ever had mono? I got it for the first time at 43, and while the adult version o f mononucleosis is not as extreme as the teenage version, it’s nonetheless draining my energy. Aside from the annoying mystery of how I got “the kissing disease” when the rest of my family is fine, is the fact that I have too much to do to give into the exhaustion. There’s no cure, so I try to take care of myself, offer my suffering up to God and press on. It got me thinking, though.

Can souls get mono?

I’ve heard the expression “a tired soul,” and we have all had those times when it seems like faith is just so much work. When that occasional tired feeling becomes malaise, isn’t that like mono of the soul?

How do we get it? Sin infected you?  Satan’s trying to bring you down? Only God knows for certain. Just like with mono, there’s no prescription for a cure (though Divine Intervention is always God’s prerogative). But there are things we can do.

Spiritual food: the doctor warned me that mono would make my appetite go down but I had to make myself eat well. So, too, can “mono of the soul” make you not want spiritual food: prayer and worship (and for Catholics especially, the Sacrament of the Eucharist.) But these are vital if we’re going to stay spiritually healthy.

Rest: It’s a temptation to take on too much, to push too hard, to do-do-do and forget that sometimes, we are meant to receive just as we are meant to give. This is the time to receive. Ask others for help or prayers. Spend time in a place that gives you comfort. Find a light meditation or read something inspiring. Drop out of some activities, maybe in favor of finding something else that will nurture the soul. God calls us to be all things to all men, but that doesn’t have to mean all at the same time.

Offer it to God and push on. Just like in life, we can’t give up everything and throw the covers over our heads and sleep for two weeks, so we can’t give up on our relationship with God. The Catholic faith talks of offering our suffering to God; it’s something anyone can do. God, in His mercy, can take the sacrifices we make–in this case our suffering–and turn them into something wonderful, but we have to take the first step of giving them to Him.

Mono–physical or spiritual–stinks. But by placing our faith in God, we can survive it–and just think of how wonderful you’ll feel when you’re well again!

About Karina Fabian

Karina (Lumbert) Fabian was born into the Catholic faith, but truly grew to love it as an adult. As a busy mother of four, she finds some of her strongest encounters with God’s love happen in the ordinary events of the day-to-day.  Karina started her writing career with diocesan newspapers but ahs settled into writing fun-filled fantasy and science fiction that nonetheless incorporates the principles of faith-filled living. Her web site is http://www.karinafabian.com/ and her blog is at http://fabianspace.blogspot.com.