SOME YEARS AGO, my community was hit with a media blitz about an impending flu epidemic. Fear-filled conversations among my colleagues were stimulated by the media coverage. People began to feel that getting the flu was inevitable.
One of the things that helped me keep my head above the fear was my desire to follow Jesus' example in trusting God. As I applied my knowledge of Jesus' life to the news coverage, I thought of the time when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. See Matt. 4:1—11 .
Maybe that seems like an unusual approach, but to me, sickness is a temptation to believe that God's goodness and power aren't able to keep me safe and well. So I wanted to learn what Jesus did when he was tempted.
