Sometimes as we travel down this road of life and we run into times of discomfort and things that physically wrong with our bodies and they leave us in pain we have a tendency as mortal people to focus on those things because they have our full attention, we are in pain. I have had my share this year and have more to come yet.
As is my daily habit I read and study from God's Word and also from other Pastors, many of whom are older and wiser and who have written things that are particularly targeted to just the very thing I find myself dealing with and perhaps some of you all may have been here or possibly also are expeiencing w3hat sems an insurmountable number of physical problems and wondering why. THAT'S ME right now.
I was an athlete most of my life. I was in great physical shape and could run lke a deer, was extremely well coordinated, played all the major sports in High school on the varsity team of oneo f the top High Schools in ohio and won a few State titles, played mens softball at the Class A level for decades and took up golf as well. I have shot PAR on a course with slope rating of 70 and never had a lesson. God has blessed me with athletic prowess and coordination. He also gave me a mind that absorbs information on sight. So I have always been in god condition , able to compete with others and not had a boatload of physical trouble, UNTIL NOW.
So this is where I find myself sidelined, hurting, doctors are not finding the causes of the loss ofuse ofm y right leg and chronic severe adema in right leg and foot that does not stop, and have a severed nerve, and now am staring down a possible hernia operation and later a knee replaement.. I am pretty immobile and can barely stand on my right leg..
Have you ever been there wondering WHY or when am I going to get back to normal?
This article Dr. Ron Hutchcraft wrote is worth reading because it is answering this situation from GOD's Word and has been a help to my state of mind. I am hoping that should you ever run into a situation where you feel overwhelmed and its one thing after another and no cure in sight that this short article by Dr. and Pastor Hutchcraft may help you as it has begun to help me.....
Here it is:
Major Gifts and Minor Glitches
I go to the barber shop to have my hairs cut - both of them. I don't go expecting to glean some gem of philosophical wisdom. But I actually did! This time, an elderly gentleman was the victim - I mean the customer - just ahead of me. He was telling why he wasn't able to go hunting this year as he had in past years, basically because of a barrage of aches and pains and a lot of medical problems. But he wasn't really complaining. You could tell that by his conclusion. As he was getting up out of the chair, he said, "Yep, my body is wearing out, I guess, but I'm just grateful I'm here for it." Good stuff!
I walked away from that barber shop that morning with more than a haircut. I walked away with a fresh perspective on the things in our lives that bother us, thanks to a man who saw beyond his aches and pains to the blessing of at least being alive to feel them. Here's how he weighs it out: physical problems - small stuff, being alive - big stuff. That load-lightening perspective is actually evident in our word for today from the Word of God.
Proverbs 14:4 is really an unusual, even slightly amusing, piece of divine wisdom. It's one that might help you rise above some of the heavy stuff you're trying to lift right now. Here goes:
"Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest."
I like the way the King James Version puts it: "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean."
Now, wait a minute. Here's the picture: a farmer is complaining about the mess his oxen make in the barn. "If I don't have those stupid oxen, I wouldn't have all this manure." Then somebody reminds him, "If you didn't have those oxen, you wouldn't have a harvest!" You've got a little mess because you've got a big blessing! Hello!
That might be what God is trying to remind you of right now. You've been frustrated by, maybe even complaining about things that aren't working, things that are hurting, things that need fixing, problems that need solving, or jobs that need doing. Maybe you've forgotten that the reason you've got a problem is because you've got a gift from God! You've been given blessings, opportunities, years, health, people who love you, people who look to you, people who need you, and you've been given work to do.
On days when my list of problems and pressures is multiplying, I need to read Psalm 16:5-6 to help me restore my
"big picture" perspective. "Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."
You decide where you want to focus and what you're going to let determine your attitude. You can complain about the manure, or you can be glad you've got an ox. You can gripe about the glitches or you can give thanks for the gifts. You can be negative because there's a mess, or you can be positive because that mess is the result of progress. And, as any highway construction people know, you can't have progress without having a mess.
Where's your attitude coming from right now? Is it coming from your load or is it coming from your Lord? Is it coming from your burdens or your blessings? The mess from the wrapping paper or the gift from God that was wrapped in it?
Take a step back. Look past the garbage that's right in front of you and look at the goodness of God that's all around you!
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