Traveling the Rock Road

Two weeks ago I went in the hospital and had replacement surgery on my left knee.  It wasn’t the most pleasant procedure I’ve ever had, as a matter of fact I still have a good deal of pain. But the fact was my knee was worn out and if I didn’t have the surgery there would be a time I would not be able to use my left leg at all.  So now that the operation is complete my routine consists of rest, lots of ice, physical therapy and with the aid of a cane walking a little further one day than I did the previous. As many of you already know it’s a slow process but I look forward the day I can get back to the regular lifestyle. Of course the doctor has informed me that there will be certain limitations to what I can or cannot do, with the biggest being running.  The pounding that your knee takes when jogging is more than recommended for a replacement joint, so running will be a definite no-no. There’s a slight disappointment that comes knowing I’ll have limitations but it’s not like I’m a world class athlete and besides I can still power walk and bicycle, two of my favorite activities.

One evening I found myself remembering a man who after an accident found the limitations he was saddled with were more than he could live with.  Lyle looked like the All American Joe with his handsome appearance and athletic physique. He was well educated and articulate in his speech, he held a good job and tapped often to lead organizations both civic and political. All in all Lyle was man everyone liked and seemed to have the whole world going his way–at least until the night of the accident.

No one really knows what happened, whether Lyle had fallen asleep while driving or what; the fact remained he drove into the side of a moving train that nearly took his life. He would be in the hospital for months recovering from his wounds, but numerous injuries would plague him the rest of his life. His body was bent and broken to where he needed a wheelchair to get around. He was still coherent enough to know people, but his mental sharpness was gone forever. The worst was he now suffered from constant depression. Seeing the shape he was in convinced him he was worthless no matter what anyone else said or did. As he told a mutual friend, “When I look in the mirror I hear a voice saying that person you remember is gone, so why go on?” Sadly one evening he chose to listen to the voice by taking an overdose of pain pills.

There is one thing that all of us share at some point, and that’s the belief we are not good enough to do something because of something lacking in us. For some like Lyle it’s because of physical limitations; in others the limitations are possibly mental or emotional. But that in no way means we’re worthless–that we have nothing to offer that might be deemed valuable to others.

God’s Word tells us this in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.”

And in 1 Corinthians 2:9,   “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

Because we live in the world that puts so much emphasis on talent, looks and so on, we forget that God doesn’t measure us like that. What you see may not look like much, but God sees us as precious and valuable beyond measure, because we are His!

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Maybe I’m not perfect and can’t do many things, but in Christ I’m everything, because of His love. Awesome!

I told you how Lyle, our “Traveler of the Rock Road” decided to end his life. Well God must have had other ideas. He was found, taken to the hospital and recovered. Sometime later he discovered he still had value, especially in Christ; and the last I heard he was working crisis intervention in Lexington.

Personally I prefer to say he now works in “Hope” and loves every minute of it.

See ya next time.