1. The other day as Sharon and I sat in the waiting area of her physical therapist, an older gentleman (and the older I get ... the older others get when I use the term "older!") walked in the door and plopped down in the chair next to my wife. He looked at her swollen right knee with the zipper that is still healing and said, "Oh, I see you had a knee replacement." (Hmm .... that was a pretty observant comment, I remember thinking!) My wife nodded her head and went on to give him the details. When she finished, he replied, "Yep. I had one about ten years ago. I did not even have to use any pain medication. Once in a while I would pop a Tylenol ... but that was about it. And I did not go for any physical therapy. Did it all myself at home." As he finished that line, his name was called and off he went. As I processed his comments, I was a bit irritated. I did not think my wife needed to hear that with all the pain she was going through. As we drove home from the appointment, we talked some more about this man and what he had said. My wife told me that she talked to the therapist about it ... and he said something to the effect that some people seem to be smiled upon by God more so than others after a total knee replacement. My wife and I agreed that our response was very much "me centered." Instead of feeling irritated, we should have rejoiced that this man had been spared the pain and agony that my wife is currently enduring. Ouch. We are more "egocentric" than we realize. Praise God that he will not grow weary of us ... but will continue doing HIS work in our lives ... turning us from egocentric sinners into theocentric (God centered) saints!
2. Later on today I will be wrapping up premarital counseling with a couple whom I will have the privilege to marry in a couple of weeks. Walking a couple through their preparation for marriage is a good thing for me. It reminds me of what marriage is all about and God's design for it. What a joy marriage can be when a husband is cherishing his wife and a wife is respecting her husband! When by God's grace we make an intentional effort to live out God's blueprint for marriage ... we can enjoy a taste of heaven on earth. Unfortunately, too many husbands (me included) and too many wives can be ... as I said above ... "egocentric." What we need to do in our homes is to "hear" and then "put into practice" (Matthew 7:24-27) the Apostle Paul's encouragement to the church at Philippi (and to us, of course) as recorded in Philippians 2:3-4. Only as we consider our mate as more important than ourselves will we begin to understand the kind of true intimacy that leads to a joy that lasts!
3. Finally ... a quote from the pen of Kevin DeYoung that all of us busy people need to read (and slow down long enough to think about!).
"Busyness does not mean you are a faithful or fruitful Christian. It only means you are busy, just like everyone else. And like everyone else, your joy, your heart, and your soul are in danger. We need the Word of God to set us free. We need biblical wisdom to set us straight. What we need is the Great Physician to heal our overscheduled souls. If only we could make time for an appointment."
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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