Things You Should Never Take for Granted

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure

Whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy –

Think about such things.”  Philippians 4:8

You never really appreciate what you have until you don’t have it anymore.  This is a lesson I have had to be taught again this week.  I have had growing pain in my knee all summer as the result of a small injury in early May.  That pain reached a climax on Tuesday night when I didn’t sleep at all, all night.  You never realize how great a good night’s sleep is, until you can’t sleep all night.  On Wednesday, I went to a doctor who concluded that by compensating for the pain in my right knee, I have caused inflammation to the tendons of that knee.  The result is, I now have crutches, a brace, and medicine.  I can’t climb the steps to my office at Trinity, for a while. Putting shoes and socks on my right foot is now quite a challenge.  You never know what a blessing a healthy knee is till you have to do without one for a while.  Watching the aftermath of hurricane Harvey also brought this home.  We take for granted our homes, our cars, our highways and more.  They will always be there when we need them.  They people living in and around Houston would tell you that is not true. There are many blessings in life we should never take for granted.

My purpose in this is not to be negative.  My purpose is to take seriously the words of St. Paul to the Philippians.  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy –think about such things.”  I’ve had a lot of time the last couple of days to do just that. 

The first is Linda, my bride.  As always, she has been amazing… sitting with me all day at the hospital yesterday.  She then drove me down to get the brace, into a part of Frankfurt where she hates to drive.  She has been patient and compassionate as I have groaned about my pain.  She has helped me get socks and shoes on my right foot, gone and gotten things for me rather than me having to get the crutches so I can get up.  The list of things she is doing for me and I know will do for me is too long to list here.  Thank you, Lord, for Linda and thank you Linda for all you do.

There are also my colleagues at Trinity- the staff I work at.  Marion is always ready to help me.  I called her at 6:30 am yesterday to help me figure out what I could do.  She also helped Linda get to where I was in the hospital.  Johanna came over and helped Linda find the way with the car to pick me up and take me home.  Kendra will be helping us with Molly, our dog.  I have a great team!  Then you add in the members of the church – Dr. Dany Doc who took me to the hospital and set up a meeting with a Dr. there, Kristen Ruesges who helped me get in to get the first MRI early this summer, members who have been sending emails, offering to help, offering prayers.  Then there are our kids who are so concerned, friends and others who are sending notes and offering prayers. Yesterday while skyping with our kids, our little granddaughter Hailey, without any prompting, asked me if I was okay… was I hurting? I have a lot of praiseworthy things to think about, and to be thankful for.

My point is – so do you!  It’s easy to sit around, feel sorry for yourself, to moan and groan.  Believe me, I know.  I have been doing a lot of that.  Yet the truth is that even at the worst moments God has been very good to you and me.  So, I would join with Paul in urging you and urging myself - “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy –think about such things.”