Update:
Saturday went as expected except that I actually got everything done
that I wanted including get my clothes ironed for Sunday, taking a shower, and
baking some of my approved “cookies.”
Sunday morning went well at church.
Karen had to leave super early so I elected to sleep in a little later
and then cook my own breakfast. I
managed to do an acceptable job—although Karen’s breakfast tastes much
better! Getting things organized before
worship at church, I noticed that the offering plates were at the back of the
platform on the floor. The musicians
were in the middle of practice and I didn’t want to interrupt them, so I rolled
up to the platform, slide out of the wheelchair and crawled across the platform
to get the plates. I think it kind of
shocked them to see me do it; so I guess I disrupted their practice anyway. One of them said, “All you had to do was ask…” My response was, “If I can do it myself, why
should I ask for help?”
Randy was gone with our teens on the retreat, so I did the children’s
message for him. Randy and the kids
normally sit on the steps of the platform.
I decided that if I stayed in my chair, the kids would be behind me, so
I slipped out of the chair, crawled to the center of the platform stairs and
then called the kids up. I noticed that
I got the attention of all the adults present!
Except for the musicians, no one in the church has seen me out of the
wheelchair since November.
After lunch I rode with Dean Mischke in the hills somewhere past
Mondovi. He needed to drop off a trailer
at the sawmill where he is having walnut trees cut into lumber. The back roads were ice-covered but I was
very comfortable with the way Dean drove.
Karen and I spent the evening together snuggled in at home.
Now Monday morning it’s -25 outside heading for a high of 12. Tomorrow begins a warming trend and we’ll
have highs around 30 later this week.
That will feel so very good! Come
on sunshine; melt the ice off of my driveway and ramp!
Today on Monday, I have a doctor’s appointment with my Physiatrist (physical rehab
doctor) and then I get my leg cast by the Prosthetist so she can begin building my new leg. As she so aptly put it, “You can tell your
congregation that their pastor is going to get ‘plastered’ today!”
Thought for the Day:
One of the greatest needs that we have is to be valuable to someone
else. We long for a relationship that is
important to each one of us. Most of us
find that in a marriage relationship.
The husband and the wife have a mutual love for one and seek to
demonstrate how important the other person is to them. Unfortunately in our human frailty we often
fail to demonstrate this appropriately. Sometimes
we are so focused upon our own needs, wants, and desires that we fail to
consider those same three things from our spouse’s point of view. I think that even at its best a marriage will
never completely fulfill the longing that we have to be loved and appreciated.
I think that is part of the reason why we see so many failed marriages. People entered to marriage with the
expectation that it would fulfill all of their relational needs and instead
they find that it falls short. We
naturally assume that it must be our partner’s fault and so we break off the
relationship and try it again with someone else. Many people will try that over and over again
looking for “the perfect mate” only to be disappointed again and again. The problem isn’t the institution, nor
necessarily in our spouse (although sometimes it might be). The problem isn’t entirely our own fault
either (although sometimes it might be).
The problem is that we are expecting too much out of a relationship
between two failed human beings. As
wonderful as marriage is when it is good and right—it still falls short of the
ideal that we long for.
There is only one source that is consistently able to supply what we
truly need; and that is God Himself. He
created us with a need for relationship.
The greatest privilege that He offers us is a relationship with Him
through faith in Jesus Christ. He cares
for us; He truly does. He watches over us.
He studies us. He listens to
us. God desires for our relationship to
be strong and healthy.
Here is a quick
reminder of how much God values you:
Luke 12:6-7 “Are not five sparrows sold for
two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you
are worth more than many sparrows.”
When you think that
nobody cares; that no one remembers you; take comfort in knowing you are not
forgotten by God. He knows things about
you that no one else knows. His
knowledge is so vast and comprehensive that a common sparrow cannot die without
God knowing about it. And God values you
and me more than a mere bird. We are
truly important to Him so don’t despair if you think that no one cares and loves
you. God does.
So how should we
respond? I thought about how casual I am
about my relationship with God. He loves
me fully and completely and often times that is the depth to which I ignore
Him. Just like a wife may wish for her
husband to spend time with her, listen to her thoughts, and interact with
her. So we should spend time with God in
worship, in bible reading, and in prayer.
Isn’t it ironic
that we might be desperately longing for a deeper, more satisfying relationship,
when that is exactly what God desires to have with us, and we ignore Him?
Isaiah 55:6 “Seek
the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”
Psalm 145:18 “The
LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will
draw near to you.”
No comments:
Post a Comment