“LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.” Psalm 30:2

I woke to the sound of the hall bathroom door slamming shut. I was not happy. This was my day off from work, and I had planned to sleep in a little bit. My frustration turned to worry when I heard one of my kids throwing up in that same bathroom. Uh oh. There had been a stomach bug flying around, and I had visions of it flying through my family.

I was up in an instant and heading for the bathroom to see who it was. I opened the door to find my oldest son on the floor in front of the toilet. He looked bad. He was dressed for school, but it didn’t appear he would be going anywhere, and I said as much. In between heaves he told me he really had to go to school. He had just started a new semester at UAB and really didn’t want to miss class.

I appreciated his uncharacteristic dedication, but insisted he was allowed to be sick. He stood up and looked really green. I asked what the cause of his vomiting was, and he told me that he had gone to bed with a slight headache but had woken up with a full-blown migraine. He is prone to those nasty things. While I hated that he felt so badly, inside I breathed a sigh of relief that at least the stomach bug had not landed on us.

I was afraid that his headache had come upon him because our family had given up sodas four days ago as a part of a church wide twenty-one day fasting period. I told him he probably needed a little caffeine. I poured him some tea, gave him some Advil and told him to lie down for about twenty minutes. After that we would decide if he was able to make it downtown for class.

After about twenty minutes I walked back into the den expecting to find him still horizontal. I was surprised to see him standing up. It was then that I also noticed he was crying. I thought, “No way is this kid going to class today.” He crossed the room and hugged me, still crying. I told him it was okay if he needed to stay home. I told him he was sick.

But then he said, “I’m not sick.” To which I said, “Migraines count as sick. You cannot drive in this shape.” Then he pulled back from me and I could see he was smiling. I was completely confused then. I asked, “What is wrong?” Landon told me he was no longer sick. He told me that as he lay there in the recliner, a friend from church had texted him and had basically told him that nothing was too great or too small for God. So my son lay there and asked Jesus to take away his headache. And He did. Right then. He said it felt as though a wave washed over him and he immediately felt better. Hence the tears and the smile.

I thought to myself, “Well Jesus, the tea and the Advil didn’t hurt either.” But immediately I was thankful. Thankful for Landon’s friend who texted him and reminded him that no problem was too big for God. Thankful that Landon’s faith led him to pray for relief and that it was granted. I have a feeling my son’s faith grew by leaps and bounds in that moment. I could almost seeing it sprouting up around him.

I had to laugh as he checked his hair and ran out the door for class, and I knew that was going to be a great day.