Theology of Swine Flu

Now I'm just a statistic. A little more than a week ago, with a fever running over 102, I went to the doctor and was told that I had the dreaded swine flu. Not to worry, no cloven hooves appeared and my desire to eat bacon is no stronger than it was before (which is, admittedly, disturbingly strong). Nevertheless, I noticed on Thursday (my first day back to class in a week) that many of my classmates were missing, doubtless also victims of H1N1 (which my father refers to as "hinie"). As I reflect on some comments my professor made regarding the flu, I can't help but restate and expand upon what the swine flu reminds us of.

We live in a broken world. From the moment that Adam and Eve decided their plan was better than God's, we have suffered. The pain of childbirth, the sweat required to gain fruit from the land and even the microbial assault that keeps us on the couch for a week are all as a result of sin. The world is broken and so are we...we need someone who can put all of our shattered pieces back together.

We never know what tomorrow will bring. In our culture, the illusion of control is strong. We manage meetings on Blackberrys, schedule our family dinners and plan our vacations to maximize our relaxation. But the control that we take for granted every day is just an illusion. We never know when the flu can interrupt our plans, just as we never know when a car accident or heart attack can take one that we love, or leave our loved ones without us. We spend a lot of time imagining that we're guaranteed tomorrow, but we do not know the plans of the Lord, and it is arrogance to think that we, in our finite fallenness, have the control.

So, if the swine flu taught me anything, it has reminded me that I'm a lot weaker than I would like to think. My self-reliance crumbles in the face of a microscopic virus, and I am reminded of the words of Paul in II Corinthians 12:

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."