The Best Laid Plans.....

How did you spend your Sunday?


I had planned to spend my Sunday morning at church. We had been on our cruise around the British Isles for the last several weeks, so I was looking forward to being back worshiping with my church family. In addition, I was looking forward to leading our Bible study in 2 Timothy.


But, to borrow from the poet Robert Burns, "the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry."


In spite of my best laid plans, I fainted and fell on Sunday morning, so because of my previous medical history, I was taken to Pelham Medical Center to get checked out. After the initial testing, I was admitted to the hospital for observation and further testing. After lots of poking and prodding, scanning and testing, everything was good, and I was discharged on Monday afternoon.


The good news is I didn't have another stroke. I didn't have a heart attack. I didn't break any bones. The bad news is there no answer about why this happened, so I'll be having some further tests.


Sunday and Monday were frustrating days. Lying in bed, doing nothing. Not allowed to get out of bed without assistance, and then only to go to the bathroom. Being fed a cardiac diet. Translation: no salt, no sugar, no taste. I was wearing a heart monitor, so every time I moved much, the nurses came running. And there's no sleeping in a hospital when your blood pressure is being checked every two hours. They came to draw blood at 4AM! And they woke me up before 6AM to have an MRI! Oh. My. Word.


The end result of it all is that I am very tired and very grateful. Grateful for the good care I received. Grateful for family and friends who called and texted and visited. Especially grateful for those who prayed.


Why did this happen? I don't know. Maybe we will never know. I hope it doesn't happen again. But even if it does, God is in control. Of this I am absolutely certain. I rest in that truth.


God is a sovereign God. Whatever happens in my life is for my good and for His glory. Even when I faint and fall, God is still God, and He is still in control. So I praise Him. On the good days. And on the bad days. And on all the in between days.


"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion...therefore I hope in him." (Lamentations 3:21-23 NASB)

Proclaim Liberty

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

Those words from Leviticus 25 are inscribed on a bell we have come to know as the Liberty Bell, originally cast in the Whitechapel Foundry in East London, England, and now housed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

 

Today we celebrate liberty. We celebrate our nation's independence. July 4, 1776 was the date of the signing of our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, and we celebrate every year on this day.

 

But our independence, our freedom, is about more than a one-day-a-year celebration. It's about more than picnics and parades. It's about more than fireworks and flag-waving and funnel cakes. No matter how you choose to celebrate today, keep in mind the reason for the celebration!

We celebrate today because a group of men gathered together on this date in 1776 to sign a document proclaiming our independence from Great Britain. We celebrate because there were men willing to risk all they had to fight for that independence. We celebrate because, in that year and in all the years since, men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States of America have dedicated themselves to protecting our freedom. We celebrate because we are a free people, with rights and privileges only dreamed of by many around the world.

Our freedom as Americans is something to celebrate every day of the year, not just on one day in the middle of summer. It's something to be cherished and protected. It's something we must never take for granted, but continually be thankful for.
Our freedom as Americans is a precious thing that must be guarded and defended. Just the verse on the Liberty Bell reminds us, we must "proclaim liberty throughout the land"!

And if that is true of our freedom as Americans, how much more is all that true of our freedom in Christ! Freedom in Christ isn't something just to be celebrated once a week on Sundays, but to be celebrated and cherished and treasured and proclaimed every day! Because "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!"  (John 8:36 ESV)


"For freedom Christ has set us free."  (Galatians 5:1 ESV)



"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."  (Romans 8:2 ESV)



[Jesus said] "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  (John 8:32 ESV)



Free indeed!  Free in Christ Jesus! Our freedom in Christ is not dependent on political parties or political correctness or political whim. That freedom is all and only in and through Christ Jesus! 


Free indeed! Proclaim that freedom "throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof"!



"Let Freedom Ring" - The Gaither Vocal Band:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVVbSXz7jaU

Refreshed

It has been said that all good things must come to an end. That is certainly true of vacations. Today is back to reality. But even as I am experiencing the "reentry" that comes after a vacation, I am feeling renewed and refreshed.


What a relaxing week it was. No particular agenda. No appointments or doctor visits that had to be kept. No chores to be done.

Just relaxing. Laughing. Talking. Making memories together. A week of giggles and snorts and belly laughs. The sounds of love. The sounds of family.

Now it's back to "real" life! Yet even as I'm faced with unpacking and sorting laundry and putting things away, there's a smile on my face. 

Relaxed.  Refreshed.  Renewed.

It wasn't just about the location. It was about the people.

It was smiles and giggles and laughter. It was conversation. It was together. It was the sounds of family.

Family. One of life's greatest blessings.

The vacation is over. But the memories will last a lifetime.

More happy than my heart can hold.



"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."  
(Psalm 103:1 ESV)