Thursday (5/1/2014)

Update:

Wednesday was a fairly mellow day.  I seem to need more sleep now that I am up and walking.  Tuesday night I slept almost nine hours.  Unfortunately it wasn’t beauty sleep; but I was well rested and ready for the day.  I had a number of emails to answer and calls to make as well as do some reading in the morning.

I spent the afternoon at my church office and got a lot done for the coming weekend.  I got so caught up what I was doing at work that I lost track of time and had to rush home to get dinner ready for Karen and me (warmed up leftovers).

In the evening, I did my exercises and visited with the boys who were over stealing our freezer.  My sons, Jon and Josh, and my daughter, Kate, and her husband, Nick, have rented a place together and realized that they needed more freezer space.  Since all the kids left, we hardly have anything left in the freezer, so Karen and I said they could take it.  They are all very excited moving in.  I look forward to seeing their new place soon.

One of my daily tasks is to inspect my stump and my remaining foot for any sores, or angry looking spots.  Monday, we found a dark spot on the side of one of my toes, so we are watching it closely.  Karen says it looks like a bruise and seems to be fading away.  Do you know how hard it is to get a good look at all angles of your foot and in between the toes?  It used to be easier when I was younger and more limber.  So it is a daily challenge to arrange the lights and use the mirror to do a foot inspection. 

Thought for the Day: 

Graduation is just around the corner.  A vast majority of high school graduates will head to college at the end of summer.  They’ll most likely find out that the course load in college is at a whole new level when they take their first test and get a grade lower than they have ever achieved before.  It causes a sobering realization that it is time to knuckle down and work hard; or they might as well give up right then and go home.  I found that to be true when I went to seminary and discovered that the course work between the bachelor’s level and the master’s level takes an exponential jump as well.  It is a harsh reality to face when you discover that you have to work longer and harder to achieve a lower grade than you are used to getting.  Constant quizzes, never-ending chapter tests, and comprehensive finals—the stuff that nightmares are made of.  Although it was difficult at the time and we never thought we would survive—we did.  But just about the time we started to relax and enjoy life, a new semester began and the cycle started all over again.

As much as we dislike them, tests are important because we find out what we have learned.  They benchmark progress.  They reveal deficiencies.  They indicate whether the work we are doing is adequate, sub-standard, or excellent.  Tests reveal what we’ve absorbed and where we need to apply ourselves in the future.  As much as I hate to say it; tests are good for us.

Did you know that God tests us?  He wants to find out what we are made of; what we have learned; and whether or not we really love and trust Him.  God tests our hearts to find out if we are really His.  God’s tests also serve to encourage us to follow Him more closely and rely upon Him more fully.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3    ^“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

“Has God performed a heart test on you lately? There are times in our lives when God leads us into the desert in order to let us find out what is in our heart. These times can be very difficult and humbling. They can test our mettle like no other time. Desert times often mean we are living without those things we are normally accustomed to: water, food, limited supplies - and with few comforts. In modern terms, it may mean a different environment. God is performing a very important work during these times. He wants to know if we can be obedient to Him in these times; or will we be obedient only when times are good?”  [Os Hillman, TGIF Today God Is First, on-line devotional, 5/1/2014].

So if you are going through painful, difficult times remember that God will use them to discover how you are doing spiritually.  These terrible and harsh events will reveal to you how you are doing as well.

One of the things that I have found is that unlike in a human classroom setting, God never allows the coursework to get too easy and boring.  His coursework is always challenging because He knows it is when we are stretched to our limits (and beyond) that we really experience growth and development. 

Maybe right now God has you enrolled in a 300 level course entitled, “Pain and Suffering” or a 400 level class called, “Loneliness and Despair.”  Some might be enrolled in an AP course named, “Grief and Sorrow.”  Whatever is happening in your life, remember that your instructor doesn’t want you to fail.  God wants you to pass and learn and grow through what you are going through.

If you were struggling in a college course, where would you turn for help?  I can think of three sources: fellow students, the graduate assistant for the course, or the professor himself.  Spiritually, you might turn to friends or others going through the same experience to see what help they can give you.  You might turn to a pastor or church leader for advice, counsel, and support.  Or you may go directly to God Himself—crying out for help, encouragement and the strength you need.

What I have found is that if during the test you rely upon God, all sorts of resources that you never expected will be available to you.  Often you will experience God in a fashion and to a depth that you never have before.  As a result, your faith and trust in Him will grow as you find Him faithful and true.

Whatever classes you are currently enrolled in, I hope and pray that you get good grades.  There are worst things in life than a class that you don’t care for; and that is failing the test and having to take the same class over again.

God, I pray for my brothers and sisters who are struggling with what they are personally going through right now.  Give them the courage to face the test, the strength work hard, and the power to persevere until they pass the test.  May they recognize that You are always there for them—and may they find You in their time of need.  I pray these things for them and myself as well.  Amen.