I didn’t feel good this morning. I am at the age where some parts of my body
wake up slower than others. My knees
have been giving me more trouble than usual.
I am delaying knee replacements until Amazon delivers them in a simple do
it yourself kit. I certainly didn’t feel
like going to the gym today. The holiday
break from working out was making it difficult to get back in the routine. I knew I needed to go. The average American gains 11 pounds during
the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holiday. I am proud to say that I am a little below
average on that note but I needed to get back on track. I joined the gym in February and lost 26
pounds in 4 months. Since then I have
gained 6 so I decided to go even when my body wanted to get back in bed.
I had a good hard work out.
When I went to my car afterward I noticed it was not where I remembered
leaving it. I smiled at myself for being
forgetful and went to the next row where I thought I saw my car and that car
was black. Mine is blue. Had someone stolen my car while I was
inside? I joke with some of the folks I
have come to know at the gym telling them that I know it’s time to quit when I
go to get a paper towel to wipe down the machine and by the time I return I
can’t remember which one I just used. This
must have been a really hard work out since I couldn’t remember where I parked
my car. It was really time to go home…if
I could find my car. I kept circling and
looking when I decided to try the fail-safe way to locate a lost car…hit the
alarm button on the remote (as a matter of pride you should only do this when
no one is looking).
I heard the horn, located my car and quickly turned off the
alarm hoping no one noticed. Too
late! I heard the following to my right,
“You
over here hon, next to me! We came in at
the same time!” I looked and now
remembered the lady who was parked next to me when I arrived. I had seen her at the gym before, always
smiling and very friendly. She
approached and I tried to joke about being lost in the parking lot but she
quickly relieved my embarrassment with her smile and positive attitude. She proudly proclaimed, “I spread joy!” She moved so quickly and naturally into
her story that one could tell she had a lot of practice in sharing her reason
to spread joy. Her name is Gloria. She had a miraculous story of her discovery,
surgery and complete recovery from cancer.
That experience led her to know that she was here for a reason…to spread
joy. She had succeeded in making my day
more joyful with her smile and positive attitude as well as her story.
I thanked her and said, “Now I want to share the story of my
miracle.” I began telling her of
my experience in 2001 where a kidney stone led to the discovery of three
aneurysms and a rare renal artery disease.
That led to two lifesaving major surgeries. I won’t go into all the particulars here
since I wrote a more detailed account in a previous blog (if interested look in
the archives under February 21, 2011 for a blog entitled ‘Ten Years Later’). My doctor told my wife that this was the type
of situation usually discovered in the autopsy where you hear about someone who
appeared young and healthy but died suddenly and unexpectedly. He told me that God obviously was not
finished with what he wanted me to do here in this life. Afterwards I would wake up each morning and the
25 inch scar around my 31 inch waist would serve as my reminder that this day
of life was a gift from God and I was to be mindful of making the most of it.
However, I must confess, that was over 17 years ago and I had
begun to once again take life and the blessings of God for granted. As I have gotten older I have notice a
growing sadness. Seeing parents and
loved ones decline and pass away has taken a toll on me. Often as the minister who is called upon to
comfort, attend and preside over sickness, tragedy and funerals I wasn’t able
to express my feelings and grief as did others.
I have always tried to be upbeat but that had become more difficult for
me recently as I had begun focusing on my increasing aches and pains and a
growing sense of melancholy. I found
myself missing the joy of today as I longed for days gone by…until I lost my
car and found Gloria. She quickly
reminded me that every day of life was a gift.
She shared her story of her miracle victory over cancer and reminded me
that I had a miracle story to share as well.
After she heard my story she wanted to give me a hug. She didn’t care that before sharing our
stories we were strangers from different ethnic groups. She saw me as she saw everyone else, as a fellow
child of God with whom she could spread joy.
Whether you think you don’t have a miraculous life-saving
story to share or not, you have been given life and breath today. That is a miracle! The fact that you woke to life today is a
sure sign that God has a purpose for you.
If you are wondering about your purpose take a look at 1 Thessalonians
5:16. It makes it pretty simple, “Rejoice
always”! So no matter what is
going on or has gone on in your life, if you have been given breath for today (I
assume that you are still breathing if you are still reading this) you have a
purpose for the day. God did not give
you breath today to find fault, gripe or focus on yourself. Gloria understood and got it when she told me
that she realized she had been given the gift of life today for a reason; “I
spread joy!” I don’t know about you but I needed that
today.
