TerryLema

In the summer Bob and I often watch golf tournaments. Right now, the PGA is amid three tournaments that make up the FedEx Championship. Scottie Sheffler is the No. 1 golfer in the world and has had that title No. 1 for 149 weeks. We have been rooting for this young man since we watched him win his first tournament.

One of the words commentators often use to describe him is consistent. He seldom gets flustered. If he has a bad outcome on one hole, it seldom carries over to the next. He goes through his routine before every game – the same basic routine he’s used since he started golfing. While he doesn’t win every tournament, he is consistently among the leaders.

As I watched Sheffler play this past weekend, I was reminded about our consistency as God’s children. While I could not find that exact word (consistent), I did find Paul’s reminder in 1Corinthians 15:58. That chapter is the glorious chapter about the resurrection of Christ – and about our victorious resurrection in Him.

The chapter ends on this verse: “Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” [HCSB]

Our labor is certainly “not in vain.” Sheffler’s consistency recently earned him $18M without ever playing a hole, simply by being No. 1 this year. Can you imagine what our consistency will bring? What we are promised is a glorious inheritance and eternal weight of glory!

I went to bed Saturday night anticipating that I would sleep fitfully (as usual) in the neck brace. Fitfully would have been an improvement in the way it ended up. When I woke up, I was achy all over, especially in my shoulders and back.

My attitude wasn’t too great either! I decided that I would just stay home from church and nurse my aches and pains, whine a bit, and feel sorry for myself.

While I was planning all that I heard the Spirit of God whisper … “give in to this today and next Saturday night will be the same or worse.”

So, I went to church. I got hugs from people I love. I worshipped with my church family. I listened to a great message. And while I left with all the aches and pains that I came with – I left with a far different attitude. And my renewed attitude carried me through the rest of the day.

It is amazing how much our attitude affects our everyday life. That is why it is so important to do as Paul reminded … to “Make [our] own attitude that of Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 2:5 HCSB]

Today marks the halfway point between my surgery and my six-week post-op – when I will hopefully be given the news that I can remove the neck brace and drive again! I will still have some physical therapy and still need to be cautious for another few months … but to sleep without a brace! Oh that will be glory!

There is nothing like hope to make the going a little easier now. While that is true for my physical wellbeing at this moment in time, it is even more true for my spiritual wellbeing.

Remember what Peter wrote about in the beginning of his first letter. “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” [vs 3-5 HCSB]

We have a “living hope” now. It comes to us “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” It is an “inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted and unfading, kept in heaven” for us.

That inheritance is waiting for us. Nothing can touch it, steal it, destroy it. No matter how difficult or annoying the things of this life, knowing what awaits us just a little way down the road gives us a hope that we can live in now.

2Corinthians Chapter 4 is a glorious chapter. It follows the chapter about our New Covenant ministry – a glorious ministry of the Spirit rather than the fading glory of the law. It begins and ends with the admonition to never give up!

“Therefore, since we have this [New Covenant] ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up.” [v1 HCSB]

“Therefore, we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.”  [vs 16-17 HCSB]

The goal of the enemy of our soul is to make us quit. He knows he can’t overcome us, so his tactic is to pile on the problems and discouragements so that we simply give up!

How often we hear the verses that in Christ we have the victory, that greater is the One in us than the one in the world, and that in Christ we are more than conquerors. Those verses often create images of great warfare and amazing victories over evil.

Sometimes the greatest victory is simply to stay the course. “Therefore, we do not give up!” Amen

It is 5:47 AM, Thursday morning. I have posted my daily devotions for today, checked my bank statement, and reviewed my email. I slept fitfully in this neck brace, but thankful that at least I slept! There is another blessed day ahead of me.

I opened one of my news feeds and my eyes caught on an article. “Pain and Suffering Calculator.” Well, that certainly aroused my curiosity. Turns out it links to a website for an injury lawyer.

One thing my neurosurgeon said about this spinal decompression and fusion surgery was that it had a six-month recovery period. Then he said, “Most people at six months look back and say it was all worth it.”

I remind myself of that when I am uncomfortable or experience pain now. I remind myself of that when this neck brace becomes really annoying (mostly in the middle of the night.)

I also remind myself of what Paul wrote in Romans 8:18. The Holman Christian Standard Bible titles this passage “From Groans to Glory” and it begins, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.” [vs 18]

Our Christian Walk is not always easy. Submitting our will to our LORD and Master, Christ Jesus is not always the way we want to go. But there is coming a time when we will “look back and declare that it was all worth it!” Gloriously worth it!

I caught a story on the news about a new trend for seniors, Virtual Reality Companions. These are Artificial Intelligence (AI) companions for seniors designed to combat loneliness and improve emotional well-being. They offer daily companionship, health monitoring, and cognitive stimulation.

The news story featured an elderly woman who was homebound. She demonstrated having a conversation with an AI generated companion. She said it alleviated her loneliness. I wanted to cry.

Loneliness is a real problem. And often the devices created to increase the ease of communication have only served to increase our isolation.

An AI device might be able to offer a verbal companion, but it cannot give a hug, or hold a hand, or wipe away tears. Only other humans can offer that. And let us not forget that God has commanded Christians to reach out to others.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” [Romans 12:15 HCSB]

Do you know someone you need to rejoice or weep with today?  No better time to do so.

Everything leading up to this spinal decompression and fusion surgery seems to have been designed to create fear. I was sent to a Peri-Op clinic with the purpose of coordinating all my meds, docs, conditions, etc. They ordered tests and those tests prompted other tests – including a nuclear stress test.

It was finally determined that I was “OK” to go ahead with the surgery. (I did have the option to forego it if I wanted.)

A few days prior to the surgery I started to chuckle. I thought well, “I’m going ahead with the fusion. I will either wake up in pain or wake up in glory!”

As it turned out, neither happened, I simply woke up! The pain didn’t set in until the next day and only lasted a few days.

Timothy Keller said, “All death can now do to Christians is to make their lives infinitely better.”  

Or as 2 Corinthians 5:8 says: “to be absent from the body [is] to be present with the Lord.”

My mother rarely smiled. When she did it was seldom spontaneous. She smiled when a smile was an expected response. Because she rarely smiled, I made it a goal not to be like her but to smile a lot instead.

Then I met Jesus and suddenly I had a real reason to smile. It was a response to the love of God. I seldom think about smiling anymore. It simply comes naturally as a child of God.

When I woke up in the recovery room following my recent surgery, one of the nurses remarked, “She just had surgery and look at that smile!” When I got to my room, another nurse noticed that I was smiling.

Ephesians 2:8-9: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” [NLT]

Read that Scripture again! God saved you by His grace. Your salvation is a gift from God. Your salvation is not because of what you have done, accomplished or succeeded at. It is because God Loves You! Now if that doesn’t make you smile, I am not sure anything in this life will!

SMILE, GOD LOVES YOU!

I came across that old African Proverb this past week … “It takes a village to raise a child.”  That proverb has been adopted by a lot of people as a slogan. It’s been revised and used to suit the purpose of politicians, corporations, and others.

Reading it made me laugh as I admit I am also revising it … “It takes a village to get one old lady through spinal surgery!”

It has taken a husband, children and their spouses, a brother, friends, prayer warriors, and don’t forget doctors, RN’s, CNA’s and many more.

I needed (and still need) not just medical personnel, but cooks, drivers, someone to transfer clothes from washer to dryer, grocery shop, lift and pick up heavy things … the list is endless! Galatians 6:2 was in operation all around me. “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” [NLT]

I also was reminded during these last two weeks about the “Grace to Receive.” It can be tough to “receive” when we are used to “giving.” But if no one ever asks for help – no one will ever be given the blessing that comes with “giving.”