Update:
I certainly didn’t get as much done as I hoped to yesterday. The hours seem to fly by and I am always
amazed at how much I have left that I wanted to accomplish. I mean that kind of thing happened before my
amputation, but being in the wheelchair seems to have exasperated the
problem.
Karen made a delicious dinner for us last night: meatloaf, butternut
squash, green beans and mock mashed potatoes.
In the past I didn’t care for leftovers; maybe one additional meal was
okay, but not beyond that. Now being at
home and having to get my own lunch; and most of the easy stuff like pizza is
off the menu--I think leftovers are grand!
I still have my limits, but I am much more open to them than I use to be.
I found out that my surgeon had to cancel my next appointment. The next available date that works for us is
two weeks later. So now instead of
waiting for February 10th, it’s February 24th. I have to have his approval before I am
released to begin preparing the stump for my prosthesis. Everything gets pushed back a couple more
weeks now. I can identify with Luke
Skywalker whining to his Uncle Ben when Luke is told that he has to stay home
longer to help do chores, “it’s just one more season”. “It’s a whole another year!” It is
amazing to me how difficult that extra waiting seems. I want to move forward. I want to regain more independence.
The hardest part of this whole thing has been the mental game of
remaining at peace. I will tell you that
my contentment level took a plunge when I got the news yesterday about the appointment
being moved back. I know in my head that
it will be okay; but emotionally I was spinning. As I write this on Tuesday morning, I’ve pretty
well got my head wrapped around the new date and have regained my balance
again. One of the things that has been
driving my desire to get walking is that there is a Police Chaplains’ Conference
in southern Wisconsin that I have been wanting to attend for several years that
happens this March (normally it’s held in Ohio). With each delay I just see that opportunity
slipping away. Partially it is just
really bad timing. Oh well. I’ve got to
let go and move on. If it works out; it
works out. If it doesn’t; the world won’t
stop revolving around the sun—so it isn’t the end of the world.
My son, Joshua, and I recorded a new shorter version (13½ minutes) of
my story/testimony. Here is the address
to find the video: http://youtu.be/nP33HZ4QXbc
Today, my plan is to go to my office at church for the afternoon to
work. I’ve got to get going on Sunday’s
message. I have a general idea of what I
will be preaching on over the next couple of months, but I have to work out the
details then actually get going on this week’s message. Karen will pick me up about 5:45 p.m. and we’ll
head to Eau Claire to have dinner together and do the grocery shopping for the
week. Sort of like a date night for
older people!
Thought for the Day:
The Old Testament tells the account of the people of Israel being set
free from bondage in Egypt. But the quickly
forget what God has done to rescue them.
When Moses returned from receiving the Ten Commandments from God on
Mount Sinai, he found the camp in chaos.
As Max Lucado says, “Moses found them dancing around a golden calf,
their memories of God as stale as yesterday’s manna” [It’s Not About Me: Rescue
from the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy].
Moses was in despair over the struggles of leading this obstinate,
ungrateful people. He knew that he would
never manage to lead this group without assistance. So Moses asked God to be with him from start
to finish; to be his constant companion and guide. Moses wanted and needed someone stronger than
himself to lean upon; to help him make it through each day’s troubles. Here’s God’s answer to that prayer:
Exodus 33:14 The LORD replied, "My
Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
The Message paraphrase of
that verse is “My presence will go with you.
I’ll see the journey to the end.”
God promises Moses that “I
will be with you every step of the way.”
I am grateful that through
the process of my amputation and recovery that I have a wife who loves me. She vowed to be with me “for better or for
worse, for richer or poor, in sickness and in health.” And I could add “in sanguine or in melancholy”
because by personality we are such different people with different perspectives
and needs. I have a solid, dependable
rock to lean up and rely upon. But
sometimes even she isn’t enough. I need
something more to calm my spirit or to help me through the anxious moments when
she is not available or incapable of meeting my current need. I am not suggesting that she isn’t giving
110%; she is giving that and more! But
sometimes that isn’t enough. What can I
do in those times? I turn to God.
I take His promise to “never
leave me or forsake me” (Hebrews 13:5) to heart. I believe it when He says that He will go
with me and see me to the end of the journey.
No matter what I go through, I am assured that He will be with me every
step of the way. Without His support, I
don’t know if I would have the strength and the courage to continue to take the
next step. So I have my wife on one side
and the Lord God on the other side, holding me up and helping me continue on
this journey.
Who do you have in your life
to lean upon; to rely upon? You’ll reach
a point in your life when you will need all the help you can get. Don’t wait to call out to God when you are in
crisis. Call upon Him now and begin to
get to know Him. No matter what you go
through, He’ll walk right along beside you every step of the way. Just ask Him.
“Footprints in the Sand” by
Mary Stevenson
One night I
dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me
because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the
Lord,
‘You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?’
‘You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?’
The Lord
replied,
‘The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.’
‘The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.’
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