Monday (2/8/2016)

Thought for the Day:

I love a good story, whether it’s in a book or in a movie.  I’ve found that some books are merely okay and others I can hardly put down because they are so good.  What makes the difference between the two?  Both tell a story; but one is captivating and the other is not.

If you think about the plot of most stories, when we are introduced to our main character we find that he or she has flaws like all of us, but there is a determination or desire that drives them forward against all odds.  The great stories have plot twists and many obstacles to overcome before the story ends.  It isn’t always pretty; in fact it usually gets ugly before the plot is resolved in the final pages.  Often times our hero isn’t equal to the task alone and he gathers people around him who help him accomplish what he could not do alone.

I personally prefer to read a series.  I get involved in the life of the hero and want to keep reading “the next adventure” because I don’t want it to stop.  Great storytellers put all of this together in a package that keeps us interested and hungering for more.  I mean, how boring would it be if nothing ever went wrong and there were no setbacks?  If everything was sunshine and puppies, it wouldn’t end up being a very good read; in fact it would be rather unbelievable.  Everything turned out perfectly?  I don’t think I could identify with that main character.  It would be a rather short story or become boring very quickly as everything easily falls into place time after time again.  Conflict.  Adversity.  Overcoming obstacles.  Surprising plot twists.  All of these add up to a great story.

I was thinking about my own life story, especially over the last couple of years.  Talk about plot twists!  I’ve often wondered why things never seem to go right for me.  Why can’t anything go easily and smoothly?  It’s almost like I’ve stepped into one of the novels that I love so dearly.  I’m the main character in a story about persevering through the struggles of life.  I bet that you feel that way at times also!

This bible verse caught my eye today. 

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrew 12:2 NKJV)

Hmm.  God is writing my faith journey into a story.  God is a great author.  I mean, how good a story would it be if it read, “He decided to trust God and everything in his life went perfectly after that decision”?  A good author just doesn’t tell us that someone had faith.  He demonstrates it by the situations faced and actions taken.  Untested faith isn’t such a compelling story.  So instead, my life has its ups and downs. 

I wish I could say that I was the perfect hero and that I never faltered in my faith and was constantly moving forward; but that just isn’t me.  I hang on the best I can and try to move forward with every step; however I am fallible and weak all too often.  I’ve proven to myself that I cannot be victorious on my own.  I’m just not strong enough.  I need others to encourage and support me.  I need other people’s strength, faith, and determination to carry me through when I feel that I just cannot take another step.  I’m grateful for all the friends and family God has placed in my story to help keep me going!

I noticed one other thing in this verse.  God is not only the author of my faith story; He is the finisher too!  If the conclusion of my faith journey rested upon my own strengths and abilities, I would fail.  But God Himself will see me through!

So on those days when I just don’t know if I have it within me to keep going, that’s okay.  Because even if I don’t—God does.  He knows my story.  He’s writing it after all, so nothing surprises Him.  He won’t write me into a corner that He cannot get me out of.  That is important to remember.  I will get into corners that I cannot get myself out of; but God is more than able to get me through seemingly impossible situations.

One thing that I find comforting about reading a series is that no matter how bad it looks for the hero right now, he obviously gets through his difficulties because there are more books in the series written about him.  There is comfort in knowing that the author is keeping the hero alive.  There is another adventure yet ahead.

I don’t know exactly how my story will end.  I may not like the difficulties and adversities that lie ahead.  It’s going to be rough; and at times it will be ugly.  But that is okay.  God is in the process of writing a great story; one that I personally get to live out and not merely read about.  One thing that has been true in my life is that it hasn’t been boring!  When things go wrong and I don’t think that I have what it takes, I’ll just look to God.  “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrew 12:2 NKJV).

Update:

Foot:  I had a bit of a scare over the weekend.  Thursday evening as I went to bed I realized that my right foot hurt.  I wasn’t certain what I had done; but it wasn’t supposed to be hurting like it was.  I lost my left foot due to complications from a Charcot incident.  My doctors have been worried from day one that I will lose my remaining foot due to another incident.  As I understand it, the bones weaken and catastrophically break down which eventually lead to an amputation.  That is why I wear a special orthotic in my shoe to help support my foot.  That is why I’ve had so many restrictions on how many steps I can walk and what I can and cannot do.  That’s why I use a wheelchair and am not supposed to hop or use crutches.  The doctors want me to keep my remaining foot (and I do too).

So when I have “bone pain” in my foot it is a serious thing.  I have had some aches and pains in the past and I’ve gotten x-rays and exams to determine if there are any breaks.  So far I’ve had a couple of false alarms.  I take it easy and after a while the pain subsides.  I’m supposed to take any pain seriously; but also look for the other signs of Charcot: redness, swelling, and hot to touch along with the pain.

When I first experienced the pain, my thoughts immediately went to “What poor timing!”  After being in a wheelchair for over a year, I very well might be on the verge of walking again in another week or two and then this happens.  I could be put in a boot and told to stay off of my foot for quite some time which would effectively shut down any attempt to walk!  The prospect of having even more restrictions or my right leg amputated also entered my mind.  So I closely watched my foot all weekend.  Late on Sunday afternoon the pain diminished and the redness went away.  Today on Monday morning other body aches and pains are obvious but the foot discomfort is barely discernable.  Whew!  I’ve seemed to have dodged a bullet on this one.  Yeah!  Thank you, God!

One thing that this event does is encourage me to be a good patient and follow my doctor’s orders closely.  I am the poster child of compliance!

It does concern me that I don’t really know what caused this event.  The only thing I can think of is that I went swimming during the day on Thursday.  Perhaps I over did it standing on my foot in the pool (obviously no orthotic on while I’m in the water).  It’s all a mystery to me and just “normal” part of my sometimes crazy life.  Consequently, I’ve been staying off my foot as much as possible (including not going to the gym to work out which is driving me a little stir crazy). 

Eye: I go in next Tuesday for cataract surgery on my right eye.  The doctors have held off removing the cataract for the last two years because with my other eye problems there is an increased possibility that I will go blind in the right eye after surgery.  I was told that since there is the increased risk that I would go blind in that eye following cataract surgery, I should wait until I am already blind in the eye due to the cataract, that way I haven’t really lost anything if it happens.  Instead I’m praying that my eye will be fine and my cataract will be gone so my vision improves drastically.  I’ll be happy to be rid of the glare, blurriness, and eye strain of attempting to look through the cataract. 

I’m also on the third different eye medication being tried in my monthly eye injections for my macular edema.  I think this one has really helped.  I’ll find out for certain this afternoon as I go in for evaluation and another injection.  This last month was the first time in two years of injections that the doctor said we could skip the left eye injection; perhaps we’ll be able to go longer between injections from now on. 

Prosthesis:  Later this week, I’ll be going in for the first fitting with my new elevated vacuum leg.  We tried a concept socket two weeks ago that seemed to work.  So my prosthetist ordered the parts had an actual test socket made for me.  I don’t know if it will fit well enough to take it home this week or if it will be another week or two of tweaking before it’s ready.  I’m pretty excited about the possibility of walking again!  I know that after being in a wheelchair for over a year, despite my exercise routine that I’ll have a long ways to go to rebuild my strength so that I can stand and walk for any length of time.

I’ve got plenty going on in the next few weeks!  Exciting times as I see how the next chapter in my life story develops!  I appreciate your prayers and thoughts for me.  They mean a lot to me.