"The Man With the Runaway Legs!"

I would like to share a very special story if I may. A story in honor of one man's birthday today. That man being my Dad, who has lived upon this earth for all of 79 years today! I write this story for his birthday because he loves to hear and read stories about himself. Not only for him do I share, but also to remind you of God's wonderful and abundant provision in our lives.

I received a text from my Mom on December 18. It was a picture that absolutely made my heart sink quickly. You see....it was a picture of my Dad and a very sad one at that.

My Mom then calls me and sounds distraught. My Dad is refusing to go to the hospital and she doesn't know what to do.......

My Dad had suffered a bad accident. 

This man loves to walk and walking is simply what he does. You could very easily call it his hobby. In all my years of knowing him, that simply has been his life. And so it is on this day, he was walking home. As he tells the story...."I was walking and my legs begin to want to run. I told my legs 'No, legs...you can't run! I don't want to fall down!' " Before he knew it, he was running across the street and onto a sidewalk. And as his runaway legs continued on, it was only moments after that his body would fall and skid across the pavement. As you can see by looking at the picture it was no easy fall! In fact, my husband and I exclaimed "He didn't just fall down....he fell off a building!!" 

As he lay there on the sidewalk, he tried to think of how to get up. His mind did not think logically and so it was that he lay helplessly there....unable to get up. At some point, I believe it was then that God sent three angels to help my poor father. One man and two ladies came together and scooped him up from the pavement. The man then put my Dad in his truck and was going to take him home. This man did not know my Dad and had no clue of where he lived. He began asking..... According to my Dad the man asked him several times. He got him home, and made sure he got safely inside the door, before leaving. At the time, my Mom was out. She would later have such a tragic shock of what would meet her at the door. When she arrived, he met her with a bloody face, swollen head, a nasty gash on his hand, ripped pants and a messed up knee. She was very upset and it was at that time that she called me. 

With some influence from my husband, they did make the decision to go to the Emergency. Six to seven hours later....they were once home again. His hand had been stitched up and the CT scan showed normal results. He was sent home with instructions to keep his head elevated while he slept and to take Tylenol for pain. But the nagging question remained with my Mom - Why did he fall?? Was it his heart? Was it something else internal? She needed more answers.....

She secured an appt for him on Christmas Eve day with their regular doctor.

Meanwhile, I was sent these pictures two days later......

On December 23, my husband and I went to spend the day with my parents for Christmas. It was the first time for us to see him in person. It was rather quite pathetic to see him as he was. He soaked up any and all attention though....for he loves that best. :) Seeing him as he was, helped me understand to appreciate the valuable time that God had still allowed for us to have with him. 

I took some pictures myself .......

And so on December 24, the news had come.....he was good and well.....no problems to speak of! It was recommended to him that he would do well to start using a cane AND go to rehab to be evaluated for any balance problems. That happened to go over like a lead balloon (as they say). Needless to say, he wasn't for either. 

Today, December 28, my Mom says he still has new bruising appearing on his face. He also has a large bump on the side of his knee that hasn't healed and now believed to have fluid in it. I reminded my Mom that he is older and his body would require some time to heal. 

And so it is on this day, December 28, 2014, we celebrate the life of a man who I call "Daddy". A man who by God's grace and provision is still with us today. Thank ya, Jesus!!

Friend, I share all of that for my Dad because I love him. 

But most importantly, I want to share for God and the great grace, unfailing love, and provision that He gives to each of us. 

In Psalm 139 it reminds us in verse 2 that God knows us. He knows when we sit and when we rise. In verse 3, He discerns our going out and our lying down; He is familiar with all our ways. I know that God was very much with my Dad on December 18, just as He is on everyday. 

And just as Psalm 138:7 tells us that "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life." It lets us know that even when we walk or fall into trouble, God is there to preserve us. He doesn't just leave us helpless. For His grace is sufficient for us as we are told in 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is sufficent for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." God's grace is sufficient for any crisis we might face...including falling flat on our face. Friend, that can mean more ways than just the literal sense. His grace is sufficient for me and for you when we have strayed and made wrong choices in this life too. For in each case, He lovingly reaches down, picks us back up, and loves us faithfully forward. Psalm 145:14, "The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down." 

Are you trusting in the Lord to be your refuge, no matter the circumstances you may end up in? Psalm 91:2 says, "I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." 

God promises us in verses 14-15 "Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him." Just as He was with my Dad that sad day.....so He also has promised to be with YOU and with me.

"We all face dangers and heartaches in life because we live in a lost and fallen world. But in the midst of these difficulties we can be absolutely confident that we are not left alone to deal with them. God's faithfulness is our constant shield. We are covered by the shadow of the Almighty! Oh, the security that is ours in God's promise that He will be with us in trouble."

And as I earlier spoke....I would like to believe that God did indeed send 3 of His angels to help my Dad in his time of need as well. For in Psalm 91: 11 we see that, "For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." They are sent to protect. We also are told in Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it." And lastly in Hebrews 1:14 it says "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" 

So we see that God uses His angels to guard, to protect, and to minister....and they do so unknowingly to us. 

And so it is that I am grateful.......for God's grace, love and provision that He showed to my Dad on that tragic day....December 18, 2014. And I'm grateful for my Savior's grace, love and provision that He has shown me in my own life when I have fallen flat on my face and wasn't sure how to get back up as well. 

THANK YOU, JESUS!!!!!!

"All Because of One Special Boy. . . ."

David and I have made a decision to start working out at the gym, on a continous basis....once again. We previously were committed and for one reason or another decided to not continue. Let me say here. . . I am SO very PROUD of my David and his accomplishments!! He is working hard and his efforts are coming with results! Please pray for continued determination and motivation if he crosses your mind. :)

As for me - I am self diagnosing myself to now know it's official.....I'm allergic to exercise!! I start sneezing whenever vigorously working out on treadmill! Craziest thing ever!! So if you happen to see me wiping my nose, and my eyes, all the while sneezing....I'm not sick.....I just have a case of allergictoexercise is all. :)

Yesterday, we were at the gym working out as usual. I absolutely love the fact that they now have a row of treadmills facing AWAY from all those crazy Tv monitors! BESSST thing they ever did for that place! We were treading along when I noticed a teenage boy catch my eye. I noticed that he had physical limitations that didn't allow for him to be "normal" as if everyone else was. He appeared to have Cerebal Palsy or maybe even results from a stroke. . .one side was considerably weaker than the other. I continued to watch him throughout his workout with a trainer. He became true inspiration for me in many ways.

He was a very GOOD looking teenage boy and he dressed the part of someone his age. He would joke around with the trainer, smile often, and wave at occassional people passing by. He was happy. He was determined. And. . . he didn't let his limitations stop him. As I said earlier, there appeared to be two sides to his body - a stronger side + a weaker side - and both were worked out during his time there. The stronger side was exercised with weights, while the weaker side was simply held, pulled, and stretched by the trainer. Both sides took genuine effort by this boy himself, but the weaker side made it visibly clear . . . this was tough. His face let you see the pain and focus of his determination. All the while, the trainer continued to gently lead him through his exercises. To me this boy was the true athelete, stronger than anyone in that entire gym. The simple stretching, lifting, and following through took a physical strength that not many of us probably have. His determination even brought tears to my eyes! Not only did this boy have to deal with his physical limitations, but as he sat there and rested, a group of teenage boys casually walked by him. I had to wonder "Does he wish his life was different? Does he long to be like others without viewable limitations?" I can't really answer that question for him, but my hope is that he sees himself as someone who is greatly BLESSED and that he doesn't have to look, act, think, walk, talk like others to be who God created him to be. The boys didn't appear to have any negative effects on his countenance and he continued steadily on. As time went on, I happened to look away for what only seemed moments only to return my focus on what was now an empty workout table. It seemed as if this boy who appeared from nowhere....suddenly was gone just as quickly! It was as if he was an angel of inspiration sent right in front of me!

As I was intently watching this courageous boy with his workout, I begin to see God and our own lifes, and the similarities. To me the strong side of this boy's body represented our strengths in our life > talents, abilities and such. We usually feel pretty good about working those areas out. We have reachable confidence to get us through the "workout". But when we come to the other side of our bodies known better as the weak side, it can be a different story! Maybe the weak side could be considered of failures, temptations, worry, mistakes, fears, doubts and the list goes on. BUT! in and of all those weaknesses none are too great for our Mighty God Himself to overcome and lead us through!! Just as I saw through the powerful example of this beautiful boy in front of me! The strong side, the trainer was there if he needed him, and at times he did, but he was more confident in doing it. The weak side, the trainer was there to assist and encourage. He gently held and supported him taking the boy's arm and leading him through it. Never did the trainer just step back and say do it, with his arms folded idlely, standing by, and the boy not being able to do it. He was there to see him through it....to completion and nothing less. How wonderfully the SAME as we see God in our lives!! God knows we are perfectly imperfect....He knows we have weaknesses that seem unbearable sometimes, He knows the limitations of our humaness. And yet He never once just stands back and says "Figure it out yourself. You got yourself here, get yourself out. You wanna be strong - then do this on your own and you will be." NO!! what He does do is holds us up when we can't stand, carries us when we can't walk, listens to us when we are afraid, and . . . He leads us through it. What he does say is "I'm here for you child. Lean on me. Trust me. I know it may hurt, but I'm making you stronger because of it. I will never give up on you."

So, my friend, whenever you may feel despair because of the weaknesses that you see in your life.....KNOW that God is there with you.....holding you, supporting you, encouraging you, bringing you to a better place and seeing you through to completion. He never asks you to do it alone. Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ."

Thank you Jesus for sharing hope with me. . . through one inspiring, beautiful boy! :)