Are We Limping?

As you all know I have recently had a knee replacement surgery. The surgery was the easy part. The therapy after, has been the hard part. I did get lucky though and got to have only in home therapy. 

The therapist has been coming every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the last 3 1/2 weeks. During this time she takes my vitals and gives me exercises to do, but the main thing she comes for is to measure how far I can bend my knee back and how straight I can make the leg go. That is the main thing that the doctor who preformed the surgery is concerned about. He measures the success of the knee by these measurements.

Yesterday the therapist told me that I was ready to graduate from needing her to come. I am bending and straightening as far as I need to according to the time frame of the weeks since surgery. I still have about 3 more weeks of babying the knee and healing and exercising to go before the doctor may release me from his care, but for now I am on my own.

Since she is not coming to check on me and my progress does that mean I should just be lazy and not do the exercises? Of course not. The only thing that would do would be to take me backwards and I would not be able to walk without a bad limp from now on. It would only hurt me.

That is the way it is when we hold grudges and stay angry at people. As the anger festers inside of us we cannot grow as a Christian. We limp farther and farther away from a close relationship with our Heavenly Father. Did you know this anger only hurts us. No one else. Not even the person we are holding hard feelings for.

When we pray the Lord's prayer and ask God to forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us, do we really mean that?

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us. 
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever.

Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

What if God forgave the way we tend to? What if He never forgets what we did and is more than willing to bring up the disgrace when ever we do anything else that bothers Him. Would we really feel forgiven? 

Of course not.

But that is what we humans do. We say we forgive but boy do we pounce on any chance to remind the other person about how big we were to do this considering how far, in our eyes, they failed. Or we just plain choose that we can never forgive and avoid the person all together or go out of our way to make sure they feel humbled whenever we are around.

Happiness and contentment can never be found when this is going on in our lives because we can never have the relationship with anyone to achieve these things. We can never be close to God feeling this way. How sad!

I know I have had to work on this in my life. How about you? Maybe this week is the time to let go and let God help you forget as you forgive those who have sinned against you!

Maybe this week is a time not to limp backwards, but with our God's help we can move forward with healing, contentment and peace. 

Blessings! 

Privilege of Discipline

The "privilege of discipline" was a phrase I heard this morning. I took a step back and thought about this. Privilege is not what I think of when I hear the word "discipline". Punishment comes to mind. Pain comes to mind. Being made uncomfortable comes to mind. A certain feeling of fear comes to mind.

Maybe this is because I am going through physical therapy, right now, to get my new knee to work correctly. I have to bend and straighten my leg enough to cause some discomfort and pain. But if I don't, the knee will not work correctly as time goes by. I need to get the muscle memory in place to make these things become second nature. Just like the original knee. I have to admit that this is not fun. I have to admit that I would rather not have to be in the middle of this but I know it has to be done. So does the physical therapist who is the one that is insisting that I do the exercises. Just like "good parents" know that the "privilege of discipline" needs to be taught to their children. 



Let me get on my soapbox for just a moment, please....


In the society we live in, right now, a lot of our young adults do not understand the meaning of the phrase "privilege of discipline". Some how in this time in society discipline became wrong. To certain people discipline means abuse to our children. It means that they can't have everything, they want, so it has to be wrong. 

I truly believe that part of the reason there is so much violence in the world today is because of this movement. Because so many think that the work that it takes to actually better their world is not something they should have to do.  It should be just handed to them because that is the way they were raised it should be. The world, to them, is all "about me". The respect for their parents and others is not something that is part of their thought processes.

God knew and still knows that this does not do us, or our children any favors. So many scriptures speak of this but I love how the verses in Hebrews tell of this...... 


 Hebrews 12:4

The Message (MSG)

4-11 In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,
    but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;
    the child he embraces, he also corrects.

God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.

Of course we should not let discipline become abuse. That is a sin in itself. But to not teach the values of what it means to be disciplined does not do any of us any favors. It does not do our world any good. It leaves our children spoiled, confused and sometimes just plain angry. You can watch the nightly news and see this for yourself. 

So yes, as I said at the beginning of this the blog, discipline is not always fun but for the peace of this world, our families, and ourselves it has to be done!!! 

Maybe God knows what He is doing with the plans He put into place for us, as His children, and for us, as parents of His children. Maybe the "privilege of discipline" is not such a scary phrase after all. 

Blessings!!!

Strengthen Our Weak Knees!

This morning I was listening to a devotion, on line, that I usually listen to in the mornings after Riley gets on the bus. As the pastor was closing in prayer he voiced this comment...."And Lord, Strengthen our weak knees".

This was very freaky, at first, because while I had been listening I also had been doing the exercises that the therapist had instructed me to do to help give my new knee strength. It felt like the preacher had been praying just for me.

In his talk this morning he had been teaching about some pillars of our Christian faith, Abraham, Moses, Elijah and Daniel. The one major common denominator with all of these great men was that they had an open communication line with our Lord. 

Genesis 18:22

New International Version (NIV)

22 ......but Abraham remained standing before theLord.[a]

Genesis 19:27

New International Version (NIV)

27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord

Exodus 32:11

New International Version (NIV)

11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God.........

Exodus 32:31

New International Version (NIV)

31 So Moses went back to the Lord....... 

1 Kings 17:22

New International Version (NIV)

22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry........

1 Kings 18:36

New International Version (NIV)

..... the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: .....

Daniel 2:19

New International Version (NIV)

........Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.

Daniel 6:11

New International Version (NIV)

11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.

All of these men, daily, knelt before our God. They prayed to Him and they listened to Him. They were on their knees all the time, praising, asking, waiting, and being faithful, no matter what, to the creator of us all.

They all understood what we sometimes forget. Life would not exist without God. Everything we have is from Him. Every move we make should be pleasing to Him. Every decision we make reflects on how obedient we are to what God has called us to do.

And to achieve all of this we need strength. The best way to get strength to follow our God is to have enough humility to understand that we need His help to do this. As we humbly kneel before our God we will be amazed at the strength we draw from Him. And maybe we will be able to change the world like those saints who have come before us, on their knees.

Here's to healthy, strong knees!

Have We Lost It?

A few days ago I was speaking to someone who was speaking of a gentleman and his downfall into a very scary path in life that nothing good can come from. As I was listening, she said something that got me to thinking about all of us. She has just assumed that he is no longer a child of God and that his prospect of heaven and an eternity with God are now out of the question.

In his past, this man was a devout church going man who loved his God and without a doubt to him, or anyone else, he was headed on the road to heaven. But sin has taken a hold of him and now his walk with God has taken a detour. What does this mean for his future?

What do detours mean for any of us, or our futures? Yes this man seems to have turned from God because his sins are out in plain sight, but what about our quiet, secret detours? The ones we think or do in private. The ones that seem so small and insignificant. What do they do for our future? What do they mean for us as children in the family of God?

Christ knew when He walked this earth that this would be a question that would travel down the course of time. Can our sins take away our secure future?

I think he spoke of this in John 10 as He talked about the lost sheep.....

John 10:9-10

New International Version (NIV)

9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:27-30

New International Version (NIV)

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

In my own thoughts, I believe He is saying here that even though we stray at times, He will always be there to bring us back into the safe fold of His love. Nothing can take us away from Him. Eternal security is a gift from our God.

In Romans, Paul tells of his belief in this promise as well.....

Romans 8:37-39

New International Version (NIV)

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus spoke of us having sin in our lives, every day, as He taught us how to pray in Matthew 6.  We call this The Lord's Prayer....  

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

Here, He is reminding us that everyday we need to forgive and be forgiven. In His way I think He is also reminding us that God has the power to always be there for us. Even if we have done things that make us feel like we are undeserving.

I guess that really it is not up to us to judge where any of us are headed as our lives come to an end on this earth. This is hard not to do because we are so close to some. Each of us have a personal relationship with our heavenly father that is between He and us. All we are told to do is to forgive and love. 

It is nice to know, though, that the one thing we do not have to worry about is God and His love. He will never leave us to the wolves of this earth. It is nice to know that even though Satan would love to have the power to take us away from our God, that is something that cannot be done!!! Our future is totally secure!!

Maybe as we pray today, we need to be sure to thank God for this wonderful gift, and know that as we ask for forgiveness and as we forgive others, that that is one less thing to worry about as we live in this very human and sinful world!

Blessings!

Pushing Too Hard

I have never been a patient person. Just ask my family. I like things to be completed and done, way before most of them can be.  Of course that is how I am being with my new knee. I would love for life to just be moving on as if nothing has happened. Rodney knows how cooped up I have been feeling so he thought he would do something sweet for me and take me out to dinner the other evening to a sit down restaurant.

At first I thought "hey this is going to be ok", but as I sat in the restaurant , with my leg propped up, the pain came and so did the fatigue. By the time we got back home I was so ready for PJs and the couch. I guess the doctors and the therapists know what they are saying with the 2 to 3 week time frame of staying put.

We humans just do not seem to be able to wait on anything. In this microwave, drive through, and internet world we really are used to instant everything. Patience is not in our beings. If only we could see the big picture for our lives. The one that God can see. Then maybe we would be able to peacefully wait for things to work out. He can see our future and how we can make a difference where we are and how this all works with the world around us. He tells us, in Jeremiah, exactly this........

Jeremiah 29:11

Common English Bible (CEB)

11 I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.

I know I needed this reminder of peace and hope, today. How about you? 

Patience Sweet Friends!

Blessings!