Monitors and Mittens

Don't you wish you could sleep in mittens like these!

A few weeks ago, my rheumatologist determined I can add carpal tunnel syndrome to my list of ailments. After steroid injections in both wrists (no fun at all!), I now get to sleep with these boxing-glove-like mittens.

Who knew getting older would bring such fun accessories into my life!

And lets not forget the joy of wearing a heart monitor for the last month. Thankfully, the monitoring is now completed, and I'm just waiting to see what, if anything, the monitoring revealed.  I was very pleased to pack that monitor and its associated parts, and return it to the "monitoring people".



Even as I am wearing my mittens and waiting on monitoring results, I have become aware that a number of friends and relatives are also being "monitored". We are all in a similar season of life, so perhaps this is just an inevitable part of getting older.

I'm not sure who said it first, but it is certainly a true statement: Getting old is not for sissies!

Yet even as I complain about the monitor and the mittens, and even as I joke about aging, I am very aware that every day is a gift from God. And that is also true of old age. Or of older age, since I haven't yet reached that place where I could really be described as old.

Every day of life is a precious gift, no matter what our season of life. And even as we move toward the senior years, there is still joy and purpose in each day.

The psalmist has a good reminder for us about that, no matter what our age or our health or our circumstances. It's a reminder I needed today. Perhaps you do too.

"O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come." (Psalm 71:18-19 ESV)

Remembering 9/11

It's that day again. The day that still makes my heart ache. That makes me almost ill. The day our world changed.

Those events are burned into our memories. Where were you on that awful day? I remember the day vividly. On that Tuesday morning, as on every Tuesday morning, I was heading to church. Tuesday was the day for Ladies Bible Study in the morning and staff meeting in the afternoon. We were planning to begin a new study on that morning, and as I had been preparing the introductory session, my thoughts had been focused on Psalm 62, specifically on verses 7-8: "On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." As the day progressed, I found myself holding on to those verses.

I walked into the family room just minutes after the first plane had hit. Our son Brian, who had just gotten home from his job at UPS, was watching TV (the Today Show, I think) before heading upstairs to bed. We both stared at the TV in disbelief. And then we watched as the second plane hit. On my way to the church, I heard the news about the Pentagon on the car radio.

Our Bible Study that morning turned into a brief time of prayer, after which I sent the ladies back home. Our staff meeting was cancelled. The pastor and I met briefly to talk through preliminary plans for the following Sunday worship service, and then he sent me home.

Life as we knew it changed forever on that day. I remember well the shock and the grief and the numbness that followed for so many days. For many those feelings are repeated each year as we mark another anniversary and as we see those horrible events replayed over and over and over on television.

Life changed on that day. We've grown accustomed to taking our shoes off at the airport and to having our purses and backpacks inspected. Sadly, we're no longer surprised by acts of violence. 

But not everything has changed. It is still true that "my refuge is in God." I still grieve with and for those families who lost so much on that day just because their family member went to work that day. I still grieve for the families of first responders and military personnel who, on that day and in the years that have followed, paid the ultimate sacrifice. I am still grateful for men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

Even more, as I reflect on the ways that life has changed, I cling to this unchanging truth:
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear." (Psalm 46:1-2)

Thinking About Storms

There's a storm moving up the coast. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of Hurricane Dorian. Here in South Carolina, Dorian has been a big topic of conversation for several days. Residents along the coast have evacuated in advance of the storm's arrival; those who didn't evacuate have hunkered down. Dorian has been a slow-moving storm and has taken a while to get here, so we've had plenty of time to think about it.

Storms are inevitable. As long as we are in this world, there will be storms to be faced. It isn't a matter of "if" there will be a storm, but "when".

Physical Storms

Certainly Hurricane Dorian fits into this category. Even as we in South Carolina have been preparing for the possibility of a direct hit from this very strong storm, I am reminded that at this time just a few years ago we were under water because of thunderstorms and flooding. Physical storms take various forms: tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, Nor'easters, blizzards, floods, earthquakes. We have all experienced physical storms in one form or another.

Political Storms

Currently we are heading into another election season. This is already a particularly rancorous election season, in part thanks to social media. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded with information, insults, and innuendo. Just as Hurricane Dorian is even now battering the coast, we are being battered day after day with tweets and posts and opinions that overwhelm us. Being able to stand firm through this barrage of information is a challenge indeed.

Personal Storms

Day after day each of us face challenges in our personal lives. Illness. Bereavement. Depression. Job stress. Accidents. Financial stress. All sorts of challenges are part of our daily lives and are often as difficult to deal with as hurricanes. We often struggle to hold our heads above water as we try to navigate life on a daily basis.

We need an Anchor.

What do we do when the storms come? And they will come! How do we cope? I've been thinking about that a lot since I first heard of the destructive nature of Hurricane Dorian. Because my faith informs how I think about things, I have found answers to the what do we do? question in the pages of Scripture.

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in You."  (Psalm 56:3 ESV)

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving."  (Colossians 4:2 NASB)   

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV)  Note that it doesn't say give thanks "for" all circumstances, but give thanks "in" all circumstances!

"Fixing our eyes on Jesus."  (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)

"Be still and know that I am God."  (Psalm 46:10 ESV)

Whatever storm may be coming your way today, your "shelter" is the same: keep your eyes on Jesus and not on the storm!

 

"The Lord's our Rock, in Him we hide,

A Shelter in the time of storm;

Secure whatever ill betide,

A Shelter in the time of storm.

Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,

A weary land, a weary land;

Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,

A Shelter in the time of storm."

(words:Vernon A. Charlesworth; music: Ira Sankey)