And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” 

2 Kings 4:19a

Migraines are just MYgraines. They’re mine, and I’ll deal with them.

But tension headaches? Those are your fault. Partially.

Tension headaches are the kind that come from tight muscles, accumulated stress, and various negative external stimuli. Sure, it’s my shoulders that tighten, but it’s your issues that have me all wound up.

Yes, all of you, these days! I talk with my family — I feel the stress. I talk with my church family — more angst. I talk with my peers — man, this hurts. Every person I know is oozing tension. Including you.

Stop it! Stop having feelings! Stop being so uncomfortable or afraid! Stop having an opinion about current events and how to face them. You’re stressing me out!

Owww. I can feel it starting. Up from my shoulders, into my neck. Tension mounts. Is it even avoidable these days? The whole world is suffering from a collective, colossal headache. Of course we are. We’re only human.

In 2 Kings, a boy clutches his head and falls over in pain. Whatever ails him is so severe that he dies. Later, the prophet Elisha comes and breathes life back into him. He lives.

That’s what we need. Some spiritual intervention. Like Holy Aspirin, lessening the pain. Something to make life these days more bearable.

Then again, everybody’s tension seems unique. Some folks retreat to a quiet corner, others blurt out all their pain. Some think politically, others stock up on science. Some are sure they have it all figured out, others are hopelessly confused. We’re all feeling it, but we all feel it differently.

Still, we must try to help each other. To let God’s healing hands work through each of us to massage away some of the pain of our brothers and sisters. I wish this little devotion could crawl off the computer screen, reach around to your neck and give you a nice soothing rub, as the words on the screen just repeated, “It’s going to be okay”.

It’s going to be okay It’s going to be okay It’s going to be okay It’s going to be okay It’s going to be okay It’s going to be okay It’s going to be okay

Well, you got the words anyway.

Even after all of that, my head still hurts. No, I don’t really blame you. The probable truth is that tensions will remain high, and headaches will reoccur for the foreseeable future. This is a tough stretch, that’s for sure. God may ease our pain, or we may have more yet to face, but God is surely at work.

Just remember that you’re not the only one facing a headache. Keep praying for comfort, and not just for yourself.

My advice? Take two Holy Aspirin…

And call God in the morning.