7 months

A little update on my mom. Appearently my mom should have been a Navy SEAL or something because her will to live is amazing. After 2 American doctors told her to go home and get Hospice she decided to go back down to Mexico for more alternative treatment. Though she is hurting on a daily/hourly basis, she continues to fight and fight well. Fight well? How do you fight well? You fight with a daily smile and chin up attitude. You fight without blame or pity. You fight by loving those around you though you are tired and in pain. Love doesn't take a day off in my mom's life.
How often do we lash out at those around us when we are uncomfortable, sick or just had a bad day. What a great example Jacquelin is of a person who does not let her circumstances dictate her outlook and love for others and life.
Another hero of mine is my Dad. I asked him a year ago or more as I was trying to formulate some thoughts on "what it means to be a man" so I could show this to my son and train him. My Dad didn't say being a man was someone who read their bible everyday though that is a great step to being a man. He also did not say that being a man was being a strong leader though that too is a great step to being man. What he said was "Being a man is doing the dishes, cleaning up the house and cooking and helping my wife anyway I can." Being a man is sacrifice. Sacrifice for your spouse of 56 years. Fritz wouldn't exactly say it is a "sacrifice" but more like a priviledge to care for his bride. He has been and will be at her side till the Lord decides otherwise. Yes a Great man he is!
I get asked once a week or so about how my accident happened. I go through the whole thing play by play and almost everytime I get caught up, choked up when I get to the part where Jim grabbed me from rolling off the roof. I have thought about this part of the accident a lot. Why is this so emotional? My guess is that most of you have never had your life saved in a real tangible way. It's a powerful thing to behold. It's humbling. It's surreal. it's awe-inspiring and it's a whole bunch more. My life was saved by the action of someone acting quickly. What if Jim was on the other side of the roof? What if he just didn't think of grabbing me? That grabbing me changed my life. It's gnarly if you think about it. So now after 7 months my head starts to think about Jesus in this aspect. When I asked if you have ever had your life saved by someone I expected that most of you answered no, but wait. Jesus saves us. Wants to save us. Jesus came to earth so that we could live. He wants to grab us from falling off that roof. Sure your life will have its bumps and twists and turns and pain and surgeries and loss and so on, but in the end Jesus wants to grab us. He will pull you and me to eternal safety. The best rescue possible. If you are not a believer I implore you to think about that. if you are a believer I ask you to take some time today to thank God for rescuing you, grabbing you, saving you.
This kind of leads me into another thing I want to reiterate. This reiteration is the simple fact that God is not a circumstantial God. Meaning, My view of God is only good when ALL is going well for me. When all my family is safe. When my hair looks good--ha. What hair? ( I just had to add a little humor there) God is great and warm and special as long as no one in MY family has cancer, as long as no one in my family is hurting, as long as I have a good job, as long as....you fill in the blank. At the very same time of this thinking, people are starving. Children are dieing. People are getting killed. Some one lost their son in battle today. Someone else's daughter was hit by a car. Someone else's mother has cancer. As long as my life bubble is not being popped I'm ok with all that suffering and loss. Well folks, to me that is absurd, selfish and just plain wrong. Yes we need to leave room for sadness and grief. Questioning and struggle. Pain and depression. After all we are human and God gave us emotions. Many of us will take our pain and hurt to our grave and for that I am sorry. I don't think that is wrong or anything. What gets me is how I can all of a sudden change my trust or love or warmth for God based on what has happened to me. There is a big difference between being in pain, or sad and being bitter or lamenting God in some way because of what has happened to me. I hope I have made this clear. I stand on the outer edge of grief and sadness. Yes I went through an accident but it mostly turned out great. I see though a glass darkly. I never want to diminish your real pain and suffering. It is real and it is hard. Just please, please consider God the same today, tomorrow yesterday and forever. I don't know why he does not Grab us from every calamity but my guess is our insisting on Free Will has something to do with it. God appears at times to act mightly and other times not at all. I will never figure out why. I have to trust Him for he is God and I am not.
I must ask you? What is hurting you right now? How is that affecting your view of God? Your relationship with Him? Find someone you trust and ask each other these 3 questions. If you are not hurting then ask yourself these questions in a "What if" kind of senario? One of the best times to think and and wrestle with your theology is while there is no real storm. Think it through, be prepared, be ready.
Later-----Todd