I’m so appreciative of all the wonderful blessings that come along with serving the Lord with words and actions. A healthy mind, body, spirit, family, and life outlook is good for my soul. As my family continues to thrive and grow, we count the many blessings and few hardships we’ve endured. At this very moment, we are ‘rolling along’. It’s a stable and relaxing season. Unfortunately, the beginning of the year did not begin this way.
February 2011 was, by far, the most difficult month of my life. I underwent a surgery that kept me away from work for 11 weeks. In the first two weeks, I was unable to walk a few steps without pain and strongly relied on ‘pain killers’ for physical comfort. The healing process was crazy painful and unpleasant (to say the least). During my major recovery time, I had two unplanned hospital stays; one time for three days and the other for five days. My mother and mother-in-law visited to help my wife with the children; while she juggled hospital cots to hospital staff. ‘To sum it all up’, it was a really bad experience for us.
Initially, I dealt well with the expected pain; however, the continuous days of discomfort ‘ran its course’. I seriously became somewhat depressed and obnoxiously pessimistic. My wife attempted to console me with scripture, physical and emotional affection, etc. I simply would not allow it to work for me any longer. I allowed my temporary inability to perform normal functions (which I clearly took for granted) take me mentally and spiritually to a place where I hadn’t been for awhile. Speaking of hope for full recovery was challenging. Although, I did not endure the trials which some face during suffering; I could clearly relate to how Job must have felt during his time of turmoil.
According to the Bible, Job was a very prosperous and upright man. He was fervently obedient to God to the extreme of repenting for his children’s possible sins. Job was acknowledged as ‘the greatest of all the people…’ during his time. God was so proud of Job that during one of Satan’s visits; God acknowledged Job’s character. This prompted Satan to allude that Job was obedient due to his prosperity. God, then, granted him limited to full access to Job. During this season, Job’s possessions and family were destroyed and his body was filled with disease and pain. Job was spiritually challenged wondering why he suffered; exclaiming that he had committed no sin worthy of this cause. His wife attempted to plant seeds in his mind to curse God and die; however, Job did not. He did question the Lord regarding his condition to finally receive an answer from God in the form of questions (rhetorical questioning, at that). Once God completed his lecture, Job openly repented in disgust towards his challenging of God’s authority. After he repented, God blessed him twice as much as he had before making for a happy ending to ‘not-so’ happy story. (Job)
First and foremost, based on what the Bible speaks of Job, I’m not near his level of faith and obedience. That is not the message that I’m attempting to convey. Job is a prime example of a good man, who loved the Lord, who happened to experience bad misfortune. The bible doesn’t claim that he had done anything wrong worthy of this trial. If anything, his reverence for God placed him in this ‘testing’ situation.
Christianity is a faith based religion. You do not accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior without faith. It’s spiritually, mentally, and physically impossible. In order to be saved, you must believe that He was the last and only sacrifice for your past and future sins. You must believe and accept that He lived, and then died for your sins. You must choose to follow God’s instructions, as Christ did while on earth, regardless of your situation. For this is what it means to truly be a Christian (child of God). To believe and act in obedience to all of God’s commandments takes faith. The benefit of this type of faith is… it’s the same faith which will carry you through chaos eventually leading to a blessed and prosperous life. Without a doubt, this is one of the many advantages in believing in a God that has given you a Way to have direct access to Him.
Four months since my surgery, I’m ‘back in the saddle’ on a continuous road to full recovery (including spiritual and mental). As God doubled Job’s portion, I believe, he has done the same for me. I’m now better able to mentally connect with those who have physical limitations. The career opportunities that existed before my operation did not fade, but stayed. My quality of life and appreciation for family, friends, and neighbors has skyrocketed. My life did temporarily change, but the overall view and reality of my Christian life never did. God was still in control and my relationship with Him through acts and words supported me. I questioned the reason for the suffering, but never have I questioned the reason for the blessing. I clearly know why I’m blessed. I clearly know why I have the favor of God. Like Job, it’s not because of my earthly works, but because of the promises of God. It’s because I have chosen His way. The seasons of life may change, but thankfully God never will. He promises. (Deuteronomy 30: 11-20)
If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please click on the link below.
http://www.cbn.com/stepstopeace/index.aspx
