Prognosis

   I have had some pretty in depth conversations with some friends over the past few weeks. The topic always seems to have come back around to our recognition of our imperfections and the expectations that we place on ourselves and on others. When we have experienced life events that have caused damage, we expect that we should be able to bounce back....unscathed...as if it never happened.
 
   I think about our physical bodies. I wonder what it would be like if we treated physical wounds the same as we treat soul wounds. True, there are some injuries that are superficial and may only be skin deep. These quickly heal in minimal time. Some of them don't even require a bandaid and are forgettable. But what about wounds that are deeper than the surface? That were more traumatic? That maybe damaged joints, muscles, organs, or bone?

  My husband had a severe accident nearly seven years ago. The damage was deep. He could have lost a limb. Surgeries, radiation, and physical therapy were performed to save his arm. However, based on the severity of his injuries, it would be ludicrous to expect that his body would not have some lingering effects.

  Even after his arm has healed...it functions differently than it did prior to the trauma. He recognizes this, adjusts, and accommodates for the limitations trying to function as best as he can. He rarely asks for help. What do we do when we see him falter??? We do not roll our eyes and sigh.  We do not point out the possibility that if he would have double checked his ladder maybe he wouldn't have brought this on himself. We move in to support. We do not remind him of what he used to be capable of. We assist him in achieving the highest level of functionality despite the disability.

  So why do we treat soul wounds and injuries differently? Why do we pretend as if they are all superficial and forgettable. Some wounds are deeper than the surface. Some were more traumatic. Some maybe damaged our faith, our trust, our sense of safety, our values, our relationships....

   I absolutely believe in the healing power of God. I have observed it. I have experienced it. I continue to experience it. I believe that God can miraculously resolve body and soul wounds. I also know that there can be complications. Variables. Changes in function. My hope is that I will be open to accept His healing to the degree that I am capable of....that I will recognize the root cause of any disfunction....that I will lean on His mercy during times when the ugliness surfaces....and that I will embrace the struggle as a part of my story.

  You see, if there was no struggle.....grace would be unnecessary.

You Don't Have To Be Catholic...

To appreciate Pope Francis' instructions for prayer.  I think I will be teaching this to my chlidren.  I love praying.  I've adopted numerous strategies, and I've learned from each one.  Prayer is a can't lose business.  Even if everything you asked for is denied, you still feel heard.  You still grow.  You are still acknowledging the only true source of help.  Never say no to prayer, even if all you can do is pray "Lord, help!"  Pray it.  He loves to hear from us and from our children.

Letting Go

Weary Child

Tired of the Struggle

Come to Me

I Will put My Arms around you

No one can touch you when I AM here

Let Me take over now

I CAN handle it all

You just rest close to Me

You don’t have to keep fighting any more

Give it up! To Me

And enjoy My Company

It’s going to be so much better than OK

And we will look back and laugh

Together, filled with Joy

Weary no more

My Child  Beloved

Rest

Mercy.

            There he was awkward and screaming.  He would not be silenced or shushed.  The crowd tried to go around but there was no stopping him once he heard that Jesus was walking by.  He screamed out all the more, “SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!”  How could Jesus not see, not hear the man? 

            Moved by his passion and persistence, Jesus called for the man.  Vaguely irritated and tired Jesus says, “What is it that you want?”  “Lord, let me recover my sight.  I’ve been blind for life.”  “Son, your faith has healed you, go recover your sight.”

            Then there was the time that Jesus was trying to have a quiet meal.  This unknown Gentile woman kept hassling Him about her son.  Would He please heal him?  “Woman, I have come for the Jews.  Would I take the meat out of the mouths of the family and give it to the dogs?”  “But, Lord, even the dogs get the scraps that fall from the table.”  “Such faith I have not seen in all of Israel.  Your faith has saved him.  Go in peace.”

            I love these stories.  The stories where it seems that Jesus is reluctant to do what is asked of him.  He had healed other Gentiles at this point.  Why did he answer her that way?  What was His reasoning and purpose?  I can only think that Jesus wants to meet us where we are.  He wants to help us, but first He wants to change our thinking. 

            I come crying out loudly of my needs, I come accepting of what is given out of His hand, I walk away changed forever.

I want to eat!

One of my sons  has had many struggles with eating over the past three years. Thanks to countless prayers, two years of weekly occupational therapy, and four weeks at a feeding clinic at Hershey Medical, he has made significant improvements. One of the things we have been working on with him lately is to finish a meal in a reasonable time frame. Left to his own devices, he will easily sit at the kitchen table for more than two hours before he finishes eating a small meal, even if it is something he likes to eat. Many times when I remind him that he needs to keep eating, he will loudly exclaim, "I want to eat!". Those words don't mean much to me because his actions don't support that assertion. Although his declarations seem almost ridiculous to me, if I am honest, I do the same thing in other situations. For example, I often set a goal of being more faithful in my daily Bible reading. I need to just do it! Nourishing my soul each day is just as important as feeding my body. I pray that some day my desire to read the Word will be so strong that going a day without spending time in the Bible would be as painful as going a day without eating any food.

"Every generation has its scars."

That's what I told someone this morning as we were remembering 9/11/2001.

Most adults living can remember where they were and what they did that fateful day.  Just as other generations remember the Challenger explosion, the fall of Saigon, the assassination of JFK or Martin Luther King, Jr., or the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  

How do we live with those scars?  

       This is my Father's world.  
 O let me ne'er forget 
 that though the wrong seems oft so strong, 
 God is the ruler yet.*

Often it is hard to see God in the mist of suffering, pain, injustice, worry, and other of life's scars.  Yet, the Psalmist calls us to remember that the LORD is our stronghold and our savior.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid? 
When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident. 
I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord   
 in the land of the living.**  

I can't explain why God allows scar-inducing events - both national and personal - to happen.  But I know that, even though the wrong seems so strong, our God - Father, Jesus,  Holy Spirit - is still with us.  And, hopefully, I - and you - will remain confident so that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

On this 9/11/13 we remember the scars inflicted.

But we also remember the God who calls us to trust him and to receive his grace, love, mercy, forgiveness, and healing through Jesus Christ.  

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.***

Amen.

* "This Is My Father's World" by Maltbie D. Babcock 

**Ps. 27:1-3, 13

*** Ps. 27:5

Lord Help!

Lord, help!
That is the most effective prayer I have ever prayed.
Now is one of the most busy times in my life. I am working between 10 and 13 & 1/2 hours a day, 4 days a week. I am trying to keep the lawn trimmed, because my husband can no longer endure much physical labor. He has two torn shoulders and something that does not belong in his back on an MRI. I am trying to keep the dog washed, house & dishes clean. Thankfully, my husband can help with the house work & homework.
Our daughter is growing up so fast and I feel like I am missing it. I can't wait till my co-worker is back from her hip surgery. I can then, go back to my 2 days and a few hours of at home billing, work week, yay! I am simply too busy to even pray long prayers. So, now is when I am praying, that most effective prayer.
Lord Help!

Storm Chasers

 

Life for me lately has been a bit of a whirlwind. OK...really it has been more like a category 5 hurricane followed by a massive flood. I say hurricane because this particular storm is a slow moving one. It builds up momentum way out in the distance and then moves in with the relentless power to destroy everything around you. Finally, there is a calm. But then you realize that it is just the eye of the storm moving over you, and you pray as you brace yourself for the grand finale.
  In the midst of my storm there have been moments of reprieve.... moments of peace.... moments of laughter.....glimpses of hope. However, when the winds pick up again I find myself running around trying to regain a sense of control....a feeling of stability...a reason to sing. And even though I may attempt to keep everything bundled up in a nice package with a pretty bow, in reality it is more like trying to lasso a tornado.
  When we give our lives over to Christ we automatically think that He will simply dispel the storm and rescue us from having to deal with the aftermath. What I have come to discover in my own life is that sometimes the storm has a greater purpose than destruction. Maybe, just maybe the storm is intended to change the landscape for the better.