Update:
I wanted to clean my toilet but after I squirted the cleaner in the
bowl, I realized that the toilet bowl brush was upstairs and Karen wasn’t due
home until late at night. I haven’t been
upstairs since before my hospitalization in November. But desperation made me adventurous. So I scooted myself up the stairs on my rear
end, one step at a time. After I got
upstairs, crawled into my office, got into my office chair and then rolled
around upstairs. I retrieved the toilet
bowl brush and then I went treasure hunting.
These are some of the other things that I gathered up: a box of facial
tissues (we were out downstairs), the replacement heads for my electric tooth
brush, a couple of USB drives, a small booklet, a couple of shirts from the
cabinet, and a few other smaller items. I
had fun looking around at things that I haven’t had access to for the last three
months. I got to see my old bedroom that
the kids had rearranged (I had only heard stories about it). Not being able to carry anything down with
me, I stuffed the smaller items into my sweat shirt pocket and then threw all
the rest of the things down the stairs ahead of me. I then slid back down the stairs on my rear
end, one step at a time. I was pretty
proud of myself and had an adventure!
When my wife got home she noticed the new box of Puffs and asked how
they got downstairs. I told her what I
had done and mentioned that the floors were really dirty upstairs, her comment
was, “Not anymore, you mopped while you were scooting around.” Well spray me with furniture polish and call
me a rag mop!
One of the difficulties I’ve had with my BKA (Below Knee Amputation) is
getting secure on my weight bench when I work out. For people with two “regular length” legs, it
is no problem. You just tuck your ankles
under the roll bar and you are snug and secure.
But only one of my legs can do that so I’ve been a bit off balance. I found it particularly noticeable doing
sit-ups on the bench. I can’t pull
evenly across both legs. Wednesday night
I had an idea that I got to work. I used
a gait belt to secure the thigh of my amputated leg to the bench (gait belts
are those wide straps that you see at the hospital or nursing homes around
peoples’ waists that the staff uses to help hold them up, etc.). Voila!
Suddenly both legs are secure again.
It also made me feel more solid doing exercises while I am reclined on
the bench.
Now that I am on the floor doing exercises every day, I am much pickier
about how clean the floor is. So Wednesday
afternoon I swept and mopped the floor again.
It is much nicer down of the floor doing exercises now.
My cousin Marcy called yesterday and we had a nice long chat. In truth, I did most of the talking. I really enjoyed the time spent catching
up. I plan to go back to Missouri this
summer (or late spring) and visit my brother in St. Louis and my cousins in the
Columbia & Centralia area. I hope to
have enough time to visit some old High School friends and see my buddy Jeff
Bergbrader and his family too.
I had a nice surprise last night.
Karen got home by 8:30 p.m. so we had a couple of hours together before
bedtime. That was nice getting to spend
the time with her.
Thought for the Day:
Luke 8:26-39 is the story of Jesus healing the demonized man. This man was a mess. He was a social outcast who lived in tombs.
He went around naked. The demons made
him incredibly strong so that chains and shackles couldn’t hold him. The demons would often drive the man into the
desert regions. He was an uncontrollable
crazy man and people kept their distance.
He lived in a region with a Jewish population which was heavily
influenced by the Roman culture—they raised pigs; which was strictly forbidden
by Jewish law.
When Jesus got out of the boat near the tombs, the wild man ran up to
him and the man fell down before Him.
The demons recognized Jesus and His power and authority and begged to be
sent into the herd of pigs when Jesus cast them out. The pigs went wild and rushed out into the
lake and drowned while the herdsmen looked on.
They rushed into the city to tell people what happened. {BTW I’ve always felt sorry for the poor
pigs.}
I am amazed by the people’s reaction to what has happened. The come on the scene and find the man “from
whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his
right mind, and THEY WERE AFRAID” (emphasis added, Luke 8:35). Once they were told what Jesus had done, they
“asked Him [Jesus] to depart from them, for they were SEIZED WITH GREAT FEAR”
(emphasis added, Luke 8:37). The formerly possessed man wanted to be with Jesus
and travel with Him; but the townspeople were spooked and wanted Him gone
immediately.
The response that I would have expected from the townspeople would be
amazement. Here was a man who had
terrorized the region, sitting calmly and obviously cured—and they are
scared. Thankful or praising God, I
would expect that; but fearful?
Here are a couple of thoughts about what is going on here. These townspeople are not living according to
God’s law for Jewish people. They are
raising pork for profit selling it to their neighbors. I think that they were spooked because it is
obviously by God’s power that this man was healed. The God whom they are defying has a man
standing right in front of them. The
townspeople probably took it as a personal rebuke when the demons were allowed
to go into the swine and the pigs all died.
They probably wanted Jesus out of there because He had already cost them
substantially—you can’t get a good price for dead pigs. They wanted Him out before He totally
bankrupted them.
What should their response have been?
They should have seen that their lifestyle was wrong and they should have
humbled themselves and shone respect and honor to Jesus. They should have renounced pig farming as
sinful and given it up. But they didn’t. They were so caught up in their lifestyle
that they couldn’t give it up—so they wanted God out of their face. They didn’t want to be reminded of His
displeasure.
You see the demonized man had chains that bound him and demons who
controlled him; and yet he was set free.
The townspeople had a lifestyle that they knew was wrong but it bound
and controlled them as well. Instead of asking
that Jesus set them free; they chose to remain in bondage. It’s rather sad. Jesus left the region and they returned to
wallow in a lifestyle that was contrary to the Jewish religion. They were missing something better, content
to stay with what they had grown used to.
The demonized man had his chains removed. God set him free form the torment and life of
pain that he had been living. In
response, the man wanted to stay with Jesus—to learn from Him and be in His
presence. Instead of granting his
request, Jesus sent the man out to share his story so that others would learn
that “If Jesus could help that man; He could help me!”
Our chains may not be as obvious as the ones the demonized man wore;
but sinful choices and lifestyles bind us as well. They limit our freedom to truly enjoy life. They hinder our peace and instead create
turmoil. They damage our relationship
with God and make it impossible for us to draw closer to Him. We miss out on the best that God has for us
as we settle for poor substitutes for God’s blessings. It is true that if you chase after the wrong
things—even when you catch them—you lose.
According to society, maybe you are doing alright and everything is
fine; but compared to what God wants you to experience—you’ve cheated yourself
out of something grand!
I am not suggesting that a life living in harmony with God will be all
sunshine and puppies; but what I am saying that life is sweeter and ultimately
more satisfying with God than without Him.
The little you have with God will bring more comfort and happiness than
the lot that you might have without Him.
When you see Jesus coming, how do you respond? Are you like the man who was demonized
(wanting to be with Jesus) or like the townspeople (afraid of Him and wanting
Him to leave you alone)?
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