Wednesday (7/9/2014)

Update:

After doing my exercises in the morning on Tuesday, I ironed a few pieces of laundry so I had some of the “right-sized” clothing ready to wear.  Then I went to work at the office.

Before starting to ride my bike on a daily basis, I never really paid too much attention to the wind, except when I was headed out bow hunting.  Now I check out the wind speed and direction and plan my day accordingly.  Pedaling against the wind can be hard work; going uphill and pedaling against the wind—forget it!  With as strong wind all day yesterday, I elected to stay in town for my ride where some of the wind would be blocked.  The wind was out of the west, but even when I rode north or south it seemed like I was riding into the wind.  I got my workout.  I am stronger now so that I cover more distance in the same amount of time.  I noticed yesterday that I had to ride up and down several streets twice to ride a full 60 minutes.  When I first started riding, I had streets leftover at 60 minutes, now I am waving at the some people in their yards twice.  That’s a small town!

The appointment I had scheduled for the evening cancelled so I went into Eau Claire to pick up some groceries we were running low on.  I’ve got my shopping routine established now.  I park in a handicap spot, walk into the store with my cane, shop while riding one of the motorized carts, then park the cart at the door and walk back out to my truck with the groceries.  At Sam’s they have a pick-up lane, so I park the cart near that, go get my truck, load my purchases, then go take the motorized cart back inside.  At home, I’ve got several of those large cloth shopping bags that I use to carry the groceries into the house.  I can’t carry that much at a time so it took me five trips to get everything inside.

I’m feeling confident with my leg again, so yesterday I scheduled several ride alongs with police officers during the rest of July.  While I was having constant trouble with my leg, never knowing when I would have to grab the wheelchair, I couldn’t ride with them.  I’m so thankful that I can do that again and be more involved in the life of the department as a police chaplain. 

Thought for the Day: 

“Ever since Adam blamed Eve for persuading him to eat the forbidden fruit, and Eve blamed the serpent for getting her to eat it, impugning others has become the normal human practice (see Genesis 3:12-13).  Accusing another allows us to justify our own sin.  Our culture of blame, exemplified by frivolous lawsuits, goes hand in hand with a sense of entitlement.  We think we deserve the best and are offended when we don’t get it.  We feel outraged at wrongs done to us—whether real or imagined.  Most fans of opposing teams watching the same sporting event believe the referees repeatedly made unjust calls against their team.”  We don’t have a good grasp “of our true identity and situation, our assumptions of innocence and nobility, and our consequent indictment of God for not treating us fairly” [Randy Alcorn, If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil].

Haven’t every one of us been faced with a situation that we felt was undeserved and unfair?  “Why is this happening to me!?!?”  The car breaks down, unexpected bills pile up, the kids get sick, and the company we work for lets us go.  We sometimes get a little ticked at God for letting all of this happen to us because “after all we have done for Him, we deserve better!”

All we need to get is a clear picture of ourselves and of our failings for us to recognize how less than perfect we are.  Warren Wiersbe in his book, “Looking Up When Life Gets You Down” asks the question, “Has your mouth ever been stopped?”  What he is getting at is moment when we stop defending ourselves before God, when we recognize how we are at fault for many of our own problems, when we quit boasting about our own morality, when we quit blaming God or others for the situation that we are in.  We must come to recognize that even if we believe that we are a “good person” even our supposed goodness is shot full of holes and in reality we really aren’t that good.  It is a painful kind of “Aha!” moment that none of us enjoy but each of us needs.  In that moment we quit complaining about everything that we think God has failed to do in our lives and instead begin to praise Him for all the gracious and merciful things He has done which we certainly did not deserve.

It may be hard to admit this to any other human being, but we must come to admit this in our personal interaction with God, and in our own evaluation of ourselves.  It can be a very difficult thing to humble ourselves before God—we are such prideful people!  It is only when we come to this point where we truly can understand how much God has done for us and how rich and full our lives are with undeserved blessings.  At that moment we begin to develop a grateful heart and we see all the good things in our lives instead of focusing upon the bad things.

Tuesday (7/8/2014)

Update:

After my bike ride on Monday morning, I spent the rest of the afternoon and the evening sorting through my clothes.  Having already lost well over 20 pounds and six inches on the waistline, most of my clothes were baggy and hanging on me.  One of my sons told me that I looked like a kid who just got his older brother’s hand-me-downs.  Yikes!  I found a few smaller things that fit well enough for now including an old suit that fits perfectly now.  I am hoping to avoid having to buy too many clothes until I reach my goal weight, so if it seems like I wear the same thing over and over—well you are probably correct.  I need to have a couple of pairs of pants altered to fit over my prosthesis and buy one or two dress shirts for Sunday use.  I have a number of t-shirts and polo shirts in 2X size and a number of button-up shirts in 18 ½ inches (some short sleeve, some long sleeve) to give away.  If anyone can put them to use let me know otherwise some will go to Goodwill or Hope Gospel later this week.

I checked out the weight of my prosthesis—as near as I can tell my current one weighs 8 pounds (it is MUCH lighter than my test socket was).  It was hard for me to balance and hold perfectly still with only one leg on the scale; so I kept getting an error message; consequently my estimate may be off.  My scale wouldn’t register any weight when I just tried to weigh the socket and the liner by themselves.  To get an accurate weight without a prosthesis, I probably would need a scale I could sit on—I can see why everyone just has you weigh with your prosthesis on—it is much easier.

During the thunderstorms passing through, I remembered that I had cracked my truck windows earlier in the day when it was hot and sunny—I elected to wait for a break in the weather to go out and shut them.  Fortunately, not much water had gotten into the truck—as I was drying everything off, I noticed that we had a complete rainbow in the sky.  Many people in the Eau Claire area saw a complete double rainbow.  Such a beautiful thing that God has created!

I finished the day by taking a shower and washing the various socks and liners for my prosthesis.  Afterwards I spent time reading before bed.

Thought for the Day:

Here’s a few excerpts from the introduction of a book I’ve just begun reading, “Life Without Limits” by Nick Vujicic.  He’s a 27 year old who was born without limbs.

“My goal is to encourage you to overcome your own challenges and hardships so you can find your own purpose and pathway to a ridiculously good life.  Often we feel life is unfair.  Hard times and tough circumstances can trigger self-doubt and despair…”     

“I eventually figured it out, and through my experiences I can help you see that most of the hardships we face provide us with opportunities to discover who we are meant to be and what we can share of our gifts to benefit others…”            

What my family and I could not foresee was that my disability—my ‘burden’—could also be a blessing, offering me unique opportunities for reaching out to others, empathizing with them, understanding their pain, and offering them comfort.  Yes, I do have distinct challenges, but I also am blessed with a loving family, with a keen enough mind, and with a deep and abiding faith…”          

“[As a teenager] Of course, I am all too human and wanted to be like everyone else, but there seemed little chance for that.  I wanted to be accepted.  I felt I wasn’t.  I wanted to fit in.  It seemed I didn’t.  And I hit a wall.  My heart ached.  I was depressed, overwhelmed with negative thoughts, and didn’t see any point in my life.  I felt alone even when I was surrounded by family and friends.  I worried that I would always be a burden to those I loved.  But I was so, so wrong.”

Looking at Nick’s life helps give me perspective whenever I am tempted to wallow in a poor attitude because of my circumstances.  I am really looking forward to reading the book and learning what he has to say.  I’ve seen a couple of YouTube videos of him making a presentation to students at school—I found it captivating.  I’d encourage you to get the book or do a little research on-line and see what he has to offer for yourself.  

Monday (7/7/2014)

Update:

On Friday (7/4) the kids came over and Karen, Kate, David, Jon, Josh and I spent the day cleaning and sorting out our rented storage sheds.  We were able to get all three emptied.  We have more stuff still to dispose of but we accomplished our goal.  I wasn’t too much help with the lifting and carrying.  That was tough on me emotionally; but I did what I could.  The shower felt so good that night and Karen and I were so worn out that we feel asleep with the sound of the neighbor’s fireworks going off all around us.  “I’ll never be able to get to sleep with all this….Zzzzz!”

Our outdoor water faucet broke on the Friday.  I decided to try to repair it myself on Saturday morning.  I certainly wasn’t going to call a plumber on a holiday weekend.  I was grateful for the helpful assistance I got at the hardware store and was able to replace it myself.  The toughest thing that I had to do was get the ladder down into the basement.  I got a good workout going up and down the stairs and up and down the ladder a half dozen times each.  I was hesitant even attempting the project not being certain if I could safely do the work on the ladder.  I’m glad that I tried and found that I could get it done.  Faucet works perfectly now and no leaks anywhere.  Success!

Our yard really needed to be mowed on Saturday.  I wasn’t certain if I could do it but I decided to try.  I got it done!  Usually it takes about 30 minutes to mow.  It took me about 90 minutes of mowing with several long rest breaks added to the time.  I wasn’t easy but I did it!  I need to talk with my physical therapist about walking on uneven terrain and make certain I am using the best technique.

I figured that with all the work I did repairing the faucet and mowing the lawn that I didn’t need to ride my bike or do my exercises on Saturday.  I really didn’t have any energy left to do it anyway.  It was nice to take a break.

On Sunday, after church and lunch, I took an afternoon nap before going to the County Jail to conduct worship services for the inmates (6-9 p.m.).  I decided to strip my leg off for the nap (let’s my leg air and much more comfortable than sleeping with the prosthesis on).  Mid-way through the nap, I got a phone call.  I was deep in sleep and sat up to get the phone.  I wasn’t fully awake and leaned to grab the phone, forgetting that I didn’t have a leg on that side.  I fell over and slipped off the bed, pounding my stump into the floor.  Now that woke me up!  It stung a bit at the time and but no lasting damage.  That’s the first time I’ve ever done that.  All during my convalescence the medical staff warned me about jumping up out of bed in the middle of the night and falling down and injuring myself.  I never did that but I know of some folks who have.  What a crazy world!  You would think that it would not be difficult to remember “I am missing my left leg” but at times it slips my mind.

This morning on Monday, Karen and I vacuumed our vehicles and I scrubbed the winter salt off of my floor mats.  Hey, it’s July!  I figured it was about time to get that spring chore done!  Afterwards I went for a 10.3 mile bike ride before it got too hot or the thunderstorms moved in.

I found another website/facebook page that I like: Amputee Coalition of America.  Lot’s of good info and helpful advice.  I wish I had found this sooner.   One thing I found on the website was a Body Mass Index (BMI) for amputees.  You plug in your height, weight and what kind of amputation you’ve had and it figures your BMI.  When I used it, it told me I was obese—no surprise, I still have 35 pounds or more to lose.  So I plugged in my goal weight of 200 = Obese!   My wife’s goal for me of 185 = Obese!  It wasn’t until I put in 165 it give me = Normal!  The only time I weighed 165 was after I completed Airborne School in the Army and I was skeletal.  I thought this thing is messed up!  THEN it hit me.  They are calculating the weight without the prosthesis on.  I’ve only ever weighed with the prosthesis on.  I’ll have to try to weigh balancing on one foot and see how much difference that is in weight.  “I’m not really fat; I’m just big prosthesis!”  Ha!

Thought for the Day:

George Washington Carver said that people should be judged not only by the positions they hold but also by the obstacles they had to overcome to get there.

Carver’s own story is an inspiration to all Americans.  It is one of overcoming odds and serving one’s fellow man, achieving greatness by good works, and devoting oneself to serving others.  He was born at the end of the Civil War to poor parents.  His father died when Carver was an infant.  His mother and sisters were kidnapped by slavers and he never saw them again.  He faced discrimination and segregation throughout his life but never allowed himself to grow bitter; He remained friendly and open.  Carver accepted whatever life threw at him despite personal setbacks and disappointment. 

I’d encourage you to take some time to research the life of George Washington Carver.  It is an amazing story of determination and overcoming impossible odds to achieve something of himself.  We can all learn something from him and his approach to life.

It seems like we become easily discouraged; we feel cheated out of what we deserve; and are frustrated when the rights we believe that we are entitled to are trampled upon.  We give up too soon and allow the short-sightedness of others dictate what we can and cannot do. 

Instead, I encourage to step forward and stretch yourself beyond the limits anyone assumes you are capable of achieving.  It is going to take time and energy, so be prepared for the long haul.  There will be setbacks and discouragements, so don’t assume there will be an easy road.  As much as you are able become the master of your own fate and decide the course your life will take; and who knows where you’ll end up.

 

Saturday (7/5/2014)

Update:

I managed to lose enough weight that at this week’s weigh-in, I registered a loss.  Last week when I weighed-In I had gained 1.6 pounds, so this week I had to work a bit harder to get into the loss column.  I did it!  In the last eight weeks I have lost 20.2 pounds.  Still have at least 35 lbs. to go; but I am on the road.  I also found out that I am down to a 44 waist in my pants and dropped a shirt size or two.  Fortunately I found some older things of mine in that size so I have something to wear that’s not so baggy on me.  So I guess there are some benefits to not cleaning your closet out too quickly!

Our children who live in the area came over on the 4^th and we emptied out three storage units that we had been renting.  My wife, Karen, and Kate, David, Jon, and Josh did a lot of work sorting, carrying, loading, unloading, dumping and stacking everything.  I wasn’t too much help carrying things, so I was left behind to guard the partially empty storage units and to sweep them out after we got them cleaned.  Karen and I started gathering stuff at about 7:15 a.m. and we got home about 5:15 p.m. Dirty. Tired. Satisfied.  A lot went into the dumpster, we have another large pile that still needs to be tossed after they empty the dumpster—but we managed to squeeze everything into other spots that we had so we don’t have to rent the storage units any more.  Whew!  Great job everybody! 

Our outdoor faucet (ant-siphon sillcock) broke yesterday (7/4).  One of the boys turned the water on to get a drink from the hose and then couldn’t get it to shut the water off.  We ended up turning the water off to the valve—sort of.  The shut off valve that feeds that faucet and clothes washer hasn’t been used in years.  We couldn’t get it all the way shut either.  We put the garden hose on the outside faucet and cranked it on tight to try to slow the water leaking.  So today I have to evaluate whether I think that I can do the plumbing job of replacing the entire thing, find replacement parts to repair it, or just wait until Monday to call a plumber.  I am not too worried about doing the plumbing stuff itself; it’s more having to work up on a ladder in the basement.  I’ve really shied away from climbing on ladders since getting my prosthesis.  It represents a whole different level of energy and balance that I really haven’t practiced yet.  What galls me is that being a plumber’s son, I know I can do the plumbing itself—I just don’t know if I can do the work.  I might just go buy something to cap off the faucet and wait until after the holiday weekend for a plumber.  My wife told me to “be wise and be careful”—I think that is her polite and sensitive way of telling me, “Call a plumber!”

Thought for the Day:

Right now I am dealing with the frustration of not being physically able to do things that I used to be able to do.  Overall I am feeling great and feel very thankful for what I am able to do; but I’ve got my limits.  I am gaining strength and stamina; but it is a long-haul back for me and I don’t know if I will every fully regain the abilities that I’ve lost.  I’ll really need to give it another year or so to see what my limits truly are.  While this is a bit of an emotional downer to me—I am so grateful for all that I am able to do.  This requires wisdom and waiting.  I cannot risk pushing too far, too fast and end up hurting myself; and yet it is necessary for me to stretch to learn the extent of everything that I can accomplish.  It was an emotional struggle watching the rest of my family lift and carry all day yesterday at the storage units while I was fairly ineffective at most of the tasks that needed to be done.  

I know that as they age everyone ends up facing a similar struggle.  The gulf between what they used to be able to do and now what is safe and wise for them to do grows with each passing year.  I have a greater appreciation for the struggle that older people have giving up their car or the home they raised the kids in because it isn’t safe and they aren’t able to keep it up any longer.  “It’s just mowing the lawn; I should be able to do that!”  We spend decades of our lives learning new skills and abilities only to have them stripped from us month after month later in our lives.  In life we transition from dependence to independence.  We celebrate passing each milestone of independence: get our driver’s license, buy our own car, graduate from high school and then college, get a job, get married, start a family, etc.  But nobody celebrates the loss of independence that happens towards the end of our lives.  Giving up the car, moving into an assisted living residence, not being able to go and to do whenever and whatever you pleased.  So many things that you used to be able to do are stripped away from you—no wonder that it is a hard transition!  From dependent to independence to dependence once again. 

I remember a few years back mourning over the losses that I witnessed my father go through.  He was always stronger than I was and had a sharp mind for math.  He was an experience plumber.  Yet I saw him become weaker, mentally slower, and even incapable of doing relatively simple plumbing jobs.

So remember to be gentle with those who are aging, infirm or injured and no longer capable to do what they used to be able to do.  Be patient with them as they struggle to accomplish what would be quick and easy for you to get done.  Be willing to lend a hand and politely offer to help when you are able.  Encourage them to do what they can safely do on their own and be there for them when they need a helping hand.  Pray for them to graciously make that transition without lots of tension and animosity towards the family and friends who are helping them.  Pray for those transitions to go smoothly and peacefully at the appropriate time.

Thursday (7/3/2014)

Update & Thought for the Day:

Today I’ve chosen not to post a separate Update and Thought—so this is it.  I’ve also decided to not publish an Update/Thought tomorrow on the Fourth of July.  I’ll be with family all day.  I’ll post my next one on Saturday (7/5).

We’ve had a bit cooler weather recently.  I slept with the windows cracked an inch or two last night and I was a bit chilly with just a flannel sheet on—so I grabbed the blanket next to my bed and threw it over me.  What a difference that blanket made!  Before I got the blanket, my right leg was cold--all alone in the world, the poor guy doesn’t stay as warm as he used to when he had a buddy.  With the blanket, I quickly warmed up and grew cozy and comfortable.  I remember thinking as I got drowsy and gently drifted back to sleep, “What a wonderful feeling this is!”  It is kind of hard to describe that feeling; but I think you all know what I am talking about.  It is truly wonderful to experience!

As I thought about that feeling of warmth, security, and peaceful joy of snuggling in a soft, warm blanket, I recognized that this earthly experience has a spiritual parallel.  It is being found wrapped up in the presence of God; to feel His love and concern all around you like a protective cocoon.  The cold, dark world around you might chill you to the bone; but God’s loving presence fills you with warmth and comfort.  You feel protected and safe.  The worries of the world just slowly melt away in the warmth of His presence.  There is no better place to be and it is easy to relax and enjoy the comfort that He gives.

Psalm 95:1-4    “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.^”

Luke 13:34   As Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem, He said, “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

There is nothing quite as miserable as spending a sleepless night because you are cold.  All you focus on as you are shivering in the dark is that you want to be warm and to be able to rest. Sometimes we don’t quite wake up enough to grab an extra blanket—although the solution is close at hand, we just don’t take advantage of it.  There are times in this world when we find ourselves miserable and unable to feel comfortable and have a moment of rest.  That is the time when we need to wrap ourselves up in God’s presence.  We need grab hold of Him to rest in His presence and allow His warmth to shelter us.  No matter what is happening in the world around us, we feel safe and comfortable know that the Lord God is our protection, our refuge, our strength, and our peace.

I don’t know if you ever have had that warm fuzzy kind of experience of God’s presence in your life.  I hope that you have and that you understand what I am talking about.  I pray that we would all experience His powerful presence more often and more fully.  The first step towards that is to be willing—to desire His presence in your life.  Call out to Him and invite Him to be a part of your life and begin a new relationship with God.  Like pulling a blanket over you on a chilly night, you’ll find that drawing closer to God is one of the best things that you have ever done.

Wednesday (7/2/2014)

Update:

I’ve really gotten into a routine of exercise—work—sleep--repeat.  With riding my bike 45-60 minutes per day and doing 45-60 minutes of exercise per day, and trying to work a normal day—I don’t have much time left to do anything else.  Last night I actually had an hour before bed and I thought I would watch some TV.  I ended up spending my time on the computer instead.  It all has been good, just feels a bit strange.

Yesterday I wore shorts and a T-shirt on my bike ride and I was chilly the entire time with the cooler temperature.  Today it is even cooler.  Right now it is only 55 and the forecast calls for a high of 70.  I’ll wear more clothes today when I ride.  Just uncertain how much more to put on.

With all the exercise (and along with my smaller portions of food) I continue to lose body fat, gain muscle and improve muscle tone as well as strength and stamina.  My weight loss has temporarily plateaued as I gain muscle and continue to lose fat.   It’s disappointing not dropping weight, but I am getting healthier and eventually I will get to where I want to be.  Along with how well my prosthesis has been fitting recently, I am feeling the best that I have in the last year.  My clothes are fitting much more loosely—I am hoping to not have to purchase any new clothes until I reach my goal weight.  I was digging around trying to find the clothes that used to fit me more snuggly than the rest.  It is already time to start cleaning my closet out of the bigger stuff.  That feels good!

On the Fourth of July, the kids are coming over (minus Ruth in Chicago) for us to do a family project.  We have been renting several storage units, most of which are filled with junk.  We are all going to go through them and clean them out.  We’ll be tossing a lot of stuff and rearranging with the goal of emptying them all. 

My wife was teasing me about it on Tuesday.  After she reminded me of the plan for Friday, she said, “I just don’t want you to do what you did the last time we had planned to clean out the storage units!”  I gave her a quizzical look, not putting together what she was getting at.  She said, “The last time we planned to do this was on Thanksgiving Day 2013.  The kids were scheduled to come over at 8 a.m. to start.  Instead I took you to the hospital at 7 a.m. that morning and you ended up getting your leg amputated.  Let’s not do anything like that this time!”  In the strongest terms I ensured my wife that I had absolutely no intention of trying to get out of the scheduled workday in so dramatic of a fashion.  I won’t be much good lifting and carrying things, but I can help sort and drive the full trailer to wherever it needs to go.

Thought for the Day:

When times are tough, we need encouragement to keep going.  “When we’re on the brink of failure, the right words at the right time can keep us in the game.  When we’re too tired or discouraged to keep going, an act of compassion can give us new strength.  There’s no doubt about it: Encouragement enables us to persevere like nothing else.”  [John Maxwell, Encouragement Changes Everything].

Last week when I weighed in, the scale showed that I had gained 1.6 pounds in a week!  Ouch!  I’ve limited my food intake and I have increased the amount of exercise I’m doing, etc.  How could the scale be that wrong?  It was very discouraging to me.  So far I have lost at least 1.5 pounds each week.  Each week that weight loss has really motivated me to keep on doing what I have been doing and each week I was rewarded with additional success.  Now I hit not just a plateau where I stayed the same weight, I gained weight back.  How discouraging!

I must admit that as I stepped off the scale, I was wondering if all the effort was worth it if this was going to be the result.  I’d like to eat more food.  I would like to feel like I could skip exercising a few days a week just to give me a break on occasion.  As all this was going through my mind, I cannot say I was depressed; but I definitely wasn’t in my happy place like every other week after I’d lost weight. 

I am thankful that my wife spoke words of encouragement to me.  She said that I probably had added muscle mass and lost fat over the last week, it is just that muscle weighs more than fat and that probably caused the weight gain.   While I’d like that to happen AND to show a weight loss on the scale, I could live with those words.  She encouraged me to keep on doing the things that I have been doing despite the apparent short-term setback.

I know that everybody hits a plateau in weight loss—I just wasn’t emotionally prepared to face it myself!  I needed those words of encouragement—things said in the right way at the right time to strengthen my resolve and determination to keep doing the right things even when I am not rewarded immediately.

I want to encourage you to become an encourager.  Look around for someone who is struggling, someone who needs to be lifted up and give them the gift of encouragement.  We all need it at times.  We need to hear the things that we know are true but we just have temporarily forgotten them.

Proverbs 25:11   Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.

Tuesday (7/1/2014)

Update:

Monday I slept in until 6:30 a.m.  Nice!  I got my five mile bike ride in before it rained.  I went out to the church just to double check on the construction and was rather amazed to see that the crew that is putting in the foundation was there and ready to pour the concrete for the frost walls.  On Sunday morning, there was standing water over the footers from the rain on Saturday night.  Up front there was over a foot of water standing—I didn’t really expect to see any work done until later in the week.  Surprise!  The forms should come off the walls today and they should back fill later this week.

After I took a few pictures of them pouring the concrete, I went to Eau Claire to do the shopping.  Yesterday was my “get in line and wait” day.  For the first time ever at Sam’s, when I was exiting the store, the guy who checks the receipts noticed that the bag of charcoal I “purchased” wasn’t on the receipt.  So I was directed to Customer Service to pay for it.  I distinctly remember the cashier scanning it but it didn’t show up and I never paid for it.  Weird!  Of course there was a line at Customer Service so it took an extra 15 minutes to get it straightened out.  I had something happen that had me sitting and waiting at two other stores.  It was the strangest day!

I didn’t get that many things, but carrying in the groceries after shopping is a different experience now.  Using a cane with my prosthesis limits the amount of groceries I can carry in a trip.  It also makes going up stairs more difficult.  Just another example of “everything takes longer” for me now.  In the past, I would have gotten everything unloaded in two easy trips; it took me five or six trips this time.

After dinner, I did my exercises, went for a walk, talked with some neighbors, gave myself a haircut and took a shower before bed. 

Thought for the Day:

Throughout the bible, you see that individuals often went through a time of testing before God put them to use.  Most of this time of testing was harsh and unpleasant.  It also normally lasted a decade or more.  From our perspective, the coach just benched our best player.  God puts people on the sidelines so that they are ready for the big play when it is time.  It often feels like we are wasting our time; sitting around doing nothing when we could be accomplishing something; but God has different plans.

“God's preparation for greatness in His Kingdom is often filled with difficulty. God is more concerned about developing the inner life of his servant. That inner life can only be prepared by removing all self-confidence and replacing it with God-confidence. God-confidence is only developed in the furnace of life.”  [Os Hillman, Today God is First (TGIF) on-line daily devotional, 7/1/2014].

“Is the Lord proving His word in your life? Perhaps He is using circumstances and events to move you into a place of patient waiting as He puts you in the place He desires for you. This is the place where the foundations of your soul mature. Let Him prove your faith.” [Os Hillman].

“The furnace of life…where the foundations of your soul mature…by removing all self-confidence and replacing it with God-confidence.”  With all of our heart we might think that we are ready for the big leagues while God realizes that in reality, we are about to strike out in the T-ball league of life!  As painful as it may be, having our self-confidence removed is going to require some failure, some long periods of waiting and wondering.  Sometimes God accomplishes this through physical illness, through personal loss or business failure, relocation, or even the death of a loved one.  God uses a multitude of ways to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we reach out to find the beginning of God.

We may have the perfect skill set to get things done; but we don’t have the character to withstand success.  He is not going to sacrifice the core of who we are for a few lousy accomplishments.  He goal is always to help us mature and grow as a person and in relationship with Him.

So if it seems that the path that you are on seems difficult—it’s meant to be.  If the road you are traveling seems impossible—take heart.  Remember that God has you EXACTLY where He needs you to be at this time, whether you want to be there or not.  When the way becomes overwhelming—learn to lean on God.  When doubts and worries flood your soul—turn them all over to God.  Be at peace and accept this time of your life as a part of your journey—because God will be walking right beside you, every step of the way.

Isaiah 41:10   “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.^”

Isaiah 43:1-2   “But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”