Update:
It’s
a challenge to keep a good fit on my prosthesis as my weight loss
continues. On Tuesday, I faced some
emotional discouragement. I am
constantly adding additional thickness of socks until they become too tight
around my knee and still not tight enough down lower on my leg. The end result is that I am constantly
walking towards pain. It is not a matter
of if I will have pain, it’s when. Often
it is within taking of 20-30 steps after putting the last sock on. On Tuesday morning I didn’t even want to put my
prosthesis on. I wanted to just stay in
the wheelchair and not face the frustration, discouragement, and pain.
I
know it this is a result of my weight loss and there is really nothing that can
be done about it until my leg stabilizes in size. I think I find it so frustrating because I am
barely getting any walking in each day; but I get plenty of practice adding
socks!! I sort of had a “why bother”
attitude on Tuesday. I finally convinced
myself that it was necessary and the right thing to do; so I put my prosthesis
and tried to walk; but as I expected I didn’t get too far. Right now I need a boatload of gumption and
determination each day. Wednesday
morning is a beautiful, bright and sunny day and my attitude reflects
that. I’ll probably have the same
outcome as before—but today I am ready, so bring it on!
All
this made me wonder how many people I rub shoulders with each day face some
struggle that takes everything that they’ve got just to make it through the
day. Not all disabilities, illnesses, or
injuries are visible. Maybe what they
are dealing with is more emotional than physical, or they are just tired and
worn out by the daily grind. If someone
is grouchy or out of sorts, it might be because their coping mechanisms are
overwhelmed and that is how they respond to the pressure. So be kind to the people you come in contact
with today—they probably need a word of encouragement and a bit of “normal” in
their lives.
On
Monday, I received my replacement phone.
I wanted to get it activated but on Monday night I couldn’t see well
enough to read. So I used a magnifying
glass to follow the instructions. I
actually had to use the smaller, high power lens on the magnifying glass to
read one word at a time. That was a
laborious task, but I managed to get it so I could receive calls that
night. During the day on Tuesday, my
vision continued to improve enough that I could use a computer for a few
minutes at a time. By Tuesday evening, my vision had pretty well cleared up
after having my eye injection on Monday morning. This made me appreciate my
sight; and I feel for those who have lost it permanently. Imagine if you lost your sight, or your
eyesight got so bad that you couldn’t drive, read a book, or even watch
TV. Yeah, I thank God for my eyesight. I never want to lose it. Remember to pray for those whose eyesight is
diminished. Their world is diminished
and limited by lacking the thing that we take for granted.
Thought for the Day:
Deuteronomy 8:18
"But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the
ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your
forefathers, as it is today."
Muhammad Ali is
considered the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He won 56 of his 61
professional fights and knocked out 37 opponents. His most famous catchphrase
was, "I am the greatest!" One
day, Ali was seated in an airplane when the flight attendant came up the aisle
to make sure that all the passengers had their seatbelts fastened. Reaching
Ali's seat, she asked him to buckle up.
"Hmph!" the champ sneered. "Superman don't need no
seatbelt!" The flight attendant
smiled sweetly and replied, "Superman don't need no airplane,
either." Ali fastened his seatbelt.
The greater our success,
the greater the risk of us thinking too highly of ourselves. Scottish historian
Thomas Carlyle observed, "Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for
one man who can stand prosperity there are a hundred that will stand
adversity." And Oswald Chambers wrote, "Sudden elevation frequently
leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all to survive is
prosperity."
Each of us must view success as a gift from God. We must
learn to see all of our successes as a gift from God, not our own achievement.
The Lord is the source of all success, all elevation, all blessing. If you have
a good mind and a healthy body, if you live in a land of opportunity, if you
have a good education, if you've had a few breaks go your way, then you have
much to be grateful for - and no cause for arrogance. You didn't achieve
success; you received it as a gift. Each of us must voluntarily humble
ourselves before God - or God will have to humble us Himself. I have learned it
is better to learn humility voluntarily, than involuntarily! Paul tells us:
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of
yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober
judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you" (Rom. 12:3).
[All the preceding was from: Os Hillman, Today God is First
(TGIF), on-line devotional, June 10, 2014].
Here
are a few of other verses that came to mind after I read Os Hillman’s
devotional:
1 Peter 5:5-6 “All
of you, clothe yourselves with toward one another, because, ‘God
opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ 6 Humble
yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due
time.”
James 4:6, 10 “That
is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up.”
Proverb 25:6-7 “Do not
exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great
men; it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than for
him to humiliate you before a nobleman.”
When we apply that
kind of humility to ourselves, it makes us a better person. We might have different skills or abilities
than other people—but that doesn’t make us better than them. There is no excuse for looking down on people
or discounting them because of what we have been given or what they have not
been given. The truth is everybody is a
mixture of strengths and weaknesses.
Working together we are stronger and more capable. When we set ourselves apart and believe that
we are superior and those others are beneath us or beneath our notice, we have
already lost something valuable.
Also, keeping the
right attitude helps us keep our relationship with God in true
perspective. It helps us understand
where our true strength lies and allows us to tap into God’s unlimited
resources. The right attitude also makes
us more usable to God. With the right
attitude we aren’t going to posture or grandstand. We can work alongside of others that God has
called together to accomplish His goals.
Pride easily creeps
into our lives when we think that we are smarter, faster, better, wiser, etc.
than everyone else. We elevate ourselves
and put ourselves and our thoughts and our desires up on a pedestal. Overinflated pride is an ugly thing. Don’t misunderstand. Taking pride in your work and seeking
excellence in all that you do is a good thing.
But a prideful, boastful, superior attitude is ugly. It also ends up putting you at a distinct
disadvantage because the bible says that God will oppose the proud. Whoa! I
have enough things against me already. I
don’t need God opposing me as well. I
need His grace, mercy, and assistance.
So I definitely don’t want my pride to get in the way.
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