Update:
I was up and at the church by 9 a.m. yesterday. I was happy with what I got accomplished at
the office—and there is still plenty left to do for today and tomorrow!!!
My wheelchair was given to me by a family member; but the seat cushion
was missing. A buddy of mine loaned me
two thick gel cushions which aren’t quite the right size; so I decided it is
time to get a proper seat cushion. What
a circus! I was told by my doctor and
physical therapist to go to the medical supply store and pick one out. They would send the paperwork over to get the
doctor’s signature for my insurance to cover it. The medical supply store asked for my
prescription for the cushion. I told
them the doctor said to send the paperwork over to her to sign. They said that they can’t do that because it
is against the law; it is considered soliciting. Really?
I finally got something worked out but was told that insurance may not
pay for the cushion after all since they didn’t buy the wheelchair. Huh?
The lady at the medical supply said that many people will go ahead and
get a complete wheelchair because insurance will cover that when all they
needed was a seat cushion. On the cheap end of the spectrum, that is over a $1,000
versus $100—yeah that’s good business sense! And we wonder why insurance costs
are so high!!!
In the evening I got my bicycle adjusted (seat angle and position) and
then went for a six mile ride. I had a
strong head wind on the way out of town that I struggled against; but the ride
back was a breeze! Literally! After the ride I did an hour’s worth of
exercises, showered and went to bed.
My life right now is pretty consistent.
I get up and read and write for a couple of hours each morning. Go to work. Have a medical appointment or
errand to do. After dinner I don’t do too much except exercise of some form or
another. I don’t have time for too much
else while trying to lose the weight that I need to shed. In the process I am getting stronger and
finding more energy—it’s a good thing!
I’ve had the best week so far in over a month concerning the fit of my
prosthesis. I haven’t been pushing the
walking, but I have been walking around the house and office, in and out to the
truck, etc. without struggles with my leg.
That’s been nice! I haven’t
started walking my block again—but I have slowly increased the amount of
walking each day. I’ve also relaxed
keeping the wheelchair with me wherever I go.
I haven’t needed to switch back to it because of pain. I don’t know how long this phase will last—but
I am thankful for it!
Thought for the Day:
“When we are broken, we see
the frailty of human strength and come to grips with the reality that we can do
nothing in our own strength. Then, new strength emerges that God uses mightily.
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Do not fear brokenness, for it may be the
missing ingredient to a life that emerges with a new kind of strength and
experience not known before. Pray for a broken and contrite heart that God can
bless.” [Os Hillman, TGIF, Today God is
First on-line daily devotional, 6/19/2014].
2 Corinthians 12:10 “That is
why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in
hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I
am weak, then I am strong.”
Philippians 4:13 “I can
do all things through him who strengthens me.”
It is not until we
reach the end of ourselves that we discover the true strength that is found in
God alone.
Let’s face it. None of us like disaster or difficulties to
strike our lives. We avoid them as if
they were the plague. In our minds they
are bad, Bad, BAD. And yet, the bible
speaks to the fact that when we strive in our own strength and rely upon ourselves
that we will ultimately fail. Victory
and the strength to succeed are ultimately only found in Christ. But we don’t usually find this out until we
are at the end of our rope and our fingers are slipping and we are falling. Usually until that point, we will not cry out
to God in total desperation and complete dependence upon Him.
God usually doesn’t
share the spot light with us. If God
rescues us in the middle of our struggle, we might easily assume that our
deliverance was 40% me and 60% God. We
mistakenly give ourselves too much credit.
It is often not until all hope is gone that God steps in so that we are
certain that it was God who deserves the credit.
We find that the “weakness”
of the Lord is stronger than the “strength” of mankind. What He brings to the
table is much greater than we could ever deliver. His resources are inexhaustible. They are renewable. They are awesomely powerful. On the other hand, our strength runs
out. It is puny. It is rarely enough. That is why Paul can say that when he himself
is week (has discovered the end of his own strength) then He is strong (as God
rushes in to support him).
So when disaster or
difficulties arrive at your doorstep—don’t panic. You are actually in a great place to discover
a deeper, more profound reliance upon God.
The road won’t be easy—and if it was, you wouldn’t need God; but His
companionship is well worth the pain and struggle.
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