Praise Therapy

By Mira Pillar

The winter of 2004 had been an exceptionally long one in the Balkan Peninsula. How we had been waiting for spring to come! The beautiful flowers sprang up. Trees budded and then burst forth with new life. Birds sang their praises that winter had ended once again. Everyone, I think, looks forward to this time of year when God’s beautiful creation can be enjoyed to the full—everyone, that is, except severe hay fever sufferers. For many of those unfortunate souls, spring can be a time to dread. Happy expectation is replaced by worry and anxious anticipation. Pollen, one of the marvels of God’s creation and the sower of life, becomes their number-one enemy. Long walks in the forest, bike rides, strolls through meadows in search of wildflowers, and even bouquets of flowers at home are all out of the question.

I suffered from such allergies for many years. Each spring I would start sneezing, my nose would run constantly, and my eyes would water to the point that they would develop a yellow film and I could hardly see. When a child from the neighborhood would bring me a bouquet of wildflowers as a thoughtful little gift, I would smile politely while holding my breath and quickly hand the flowers to my husband to discreetly discard. But this spring, I was determined to fight my hay fever—with “praise therapy.”

Every time I would begin to have a sneezing fit or my eyes would begin to itch and run, I made a conscious effort to praise the Lord. After one such episode, as I was praising the Lord and praying, He told me that He was going to heal me. From that minute on, I thanked Him for that promise every time I felt my allergies coming on, and from that minute on I was being healed. The process began slowly, but after only a few weeks my allergies were totally gone.

I confess I had hoped for and expected a more immediate answer to my praises, but the Lord wanted me to get in the habit of praising Him even in difficult times, and He also wanted to teach me patience along the way.

So this spring things were pleasantly different for me. I enjoyed long bike rides with my husband, strolling through the fields, and even smelling the flowers. Praise works wonders!

Mira Pillar is a member of the Family International in Serbia.