In His Time

     When 2020 began, we all had high hopes of what the new year would bring.  For me, I was looking forward to a partial knee replacement on January 29th so I could enjoy going for walks again.  The surgery went well, and I completed my rehab feeling confident  I could again enjoy the outdoors.  However, as we all know, March came rolling around with the threat of COVID and this curtailed much of our activities.  Still, I was able to get out for walks on a regular basis.

     Something happened during the summer though which changed the picture for me.  I don't know how it happened but the outside of my post op knee became damaged and extremely painful.  When I returned to my doctor, he told me the only long term fix would be to take out  the partial replacement and do a full knee replacement.  This isn't exactly what I had hoped for, but God does work all things together for good.  I began the pre-op work up in August for a possible September surgery date.  Then the roadblocks came along with heart testing and a biopsy on my lung.  All checked out well after several months of tests and I am now happy to say I had the full knee replacement on November 2nd.   Yes, I have to go through rehab again and "no" I do not like it, but it is part of the process of healing.  Like all things in life, there are some things we love to do and some things we "must" do whether we like it or not.

     In my many years of walking with the Lord, I have discovered that when I make time daily for the Lord my entire day goes much more smoothly.  There are, honestly, days when I
do not feel like taking the time to be in prayer or Bible study.  So what happens to us if we choose to make this our routine?  Let me suggest that it is very much like having knee surgery and not doing the exercises afterwards.  Following the procedure, the muscles are swollen, traumatized and weak.  They need exercise to prevent scar tissue from forming that makes movement painful.  I have talked with people whose family member went through knee surgery and refused to exercise on a regular basis.  Their loved one eventually was limited in range of motion and movement.  To me, that defeats the purpose of going through the surgery.  Joint replacement is painful, but living with chronic pain and not being able to walk very far is a greater limitation.  The same is true in our spiritual lives.

     There are days when we must give the Lord a sacrifice of praise because it may be hard to rejoice in that moment.  Perhaps reading Scripture is not something we feel like doing, but when we apply ourselves, God speaks to our hearts.  Even prayer may be strained on some days due to the burdens we are carrying.  Yet, when we push through the excuses, the feelings and lack of enthusiasm, we find that making time for the Lord is like sitting beside a refreshing stream.  We come away blessed and filled with the bread of life.  By the same token, if we ignore our duty to God, our days become emptier and our spiritual muscles weaker.

     Probably within this next week, I will begin regular rehab appointments with a physical therapist.  Does it hurt?  Yes.  Do I want to do it if given the choice?  No.  But...I want to grow strong so I can walk again and enjoy the world around me.  This will take time but I am reminded of the Scripture in Ecclesiastes 3:11:  "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."  On this earth, we may not fully grasp what the Lord has accomplished for us as we walk through the ups and downs of life.  However, we know that what He has made is good and beautiful according to His time not ours.

     Just as I must practice my exercises with fidelity, so we must also train our hearts to be faithful daily to the call of time alone with our Savior.  We must not neglect these exercises which will give us strength.  Prayer, Bible study and making time for fellowship with other believers will help us grow strong in Christ.  Selah!