Wound Care 101 Revisited

September 2, 2013 by 4 Comments

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*This encore presentation of a post from 2008 will probably be new to most of you. Hope it blesses you!

Flip-flops are the perfect fun footwear — that is until you whack your toes on a hard, immovable object. Yes, leave it to me to find another way to injure myself. Don’t ask me how it happened. I’m not really sure. I wasn’t even walking fast. In fact, I was just taking a few steps across my office when my bare foot, clad only in one of my fave Old Navy flip-flops, met its match with the sharp metal bottom of the dehumidifier. The same dehumidifier, I might add, that’s been in the same spot for years. Go figure.

When the groans subsided from the initial blast of pain, I bent down to survey the damage. Two toes had been hit, and one was bleeding. Nothing major, but it wasn’t going to stop on its own. This was a job for Band-Aids. And since the toe was scraped at top and bottom both, it would take two of the sticky cure-alls to do the trick. I found out right away that binding up a toe when it’s hurting and surrounded by toes on either side (and one of those also whacked) is no easy job.

Today? A little swelling and bruising and just enough tenderness to make me ever conscious of keeping my foot well away from another object. If I had been just half as protective of my foot yesterday, I wouldn’t be groaning at the prospect of wearing shoes today. It was just one of those things I didn’t expect, though. I never saw it coming.

Sometimes life has a way of whacking us, too, doesn’t it? Out of the blue and in the blink of an eye, we are thrust into situations that leave us reeling from pain and gasping for emotional air. Someone we love, someone we trust, levels some words at us that cut us to the core. Or we get that dreaded phone call that forever changes our lives as we know them. Or we find out we’re no longer needed… at our job, in our marriage, by a friend.

As we survey the damage, we see that we are bleeding. But this time, it’s from the heart. And the pain is too deep to tend to it ourselves. We need our Savior’s help, His comfort. We need His healing touch.

If you are hurting today, I encourage you to call on the Great Physician. He will tend to your wound. He will pay attention to it. He will guard and protect it. Remember, He stands ready to help. Nothing catches Him by surprise.

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 KJV

*How has God tended to your wounds when life has whacked you?

*Flickr photo by _rockinfree

Filed Under: accident, body, comfort, grief, heal, help, protection

A Painful Mercy

June 17, 2013 by 7 Comments

Sometimes God says no to our most earnest requests. We plead, we bargain, we pour out our hearts’ deepest desire and still he doesn’t give us the answer we long for. Other times his answer is wait. And sometimes we’ve already waited an excruciatingly long time as it is.

These answers of no and wait—and wait some more—can really hurt. After all, we’re not talking about casual, wouldn’t-it-be-nice kinds of requests. We’re talking about earnest requests. Requests born of desperation, heartache, and deep need. So when our deepest desires are not granted, the accompanying pain and disappointment run deep as well.

What we may not realize is that God’s painful no or wait  may in fact be a painful mercy. He alone knows all the results a yes might bring. He alone knows the future. When it appears he’s withholding our heart’s desire, he instead may be saving us from an even greater grief.

Many of you know that our family has been experiencing a season of waiting for quite some time now. During this period, the answer no has been our portion time and again. We’ve dealt with heartache over and over and have not understood why God is answering the way he is.

But what if we—and what if you in your situation—could see into the future, could see what God sees. Maybe our family would see a turn of events that would be more devastating than the current answer of no or keep waiting. How about you? What might you see in your future? I think we all might see that God’s no may in fact be a painful mercy.

It all boils down to trust, doesn’t it? Even when the answers we want don’t come, will we trust God? Will we continue to believe that he loves us and has good things in store for us? Will we acknowledge that he may be planning to give us something even better than our original request?

Don’t get me wrong—trust is not a pat answer. Trust doesn’t negate the pain. But it does bring peace. It does keep hope alive. It does acknowledge that God alone knows the future and that he will indeed walk with us through times of painful mercy.

“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10

*Have you experienced a painful mercy in your life?

*Flickr photo by minniemouseaunt

Filed Under: disappointment, grief, mercy, prayer, trust, wait Tagged With: , , ,

Empty Arms

March 31, 2013 by 7 Comments

Don’t you love how we can express ourselves in different ways? For some, their chosen avenue is music. For others, it is art. Still others find their creative outlet in photography or cooking or knitting. The list goes on.

We writers use words to share our hearts with the world. But even within that niche of words, we can choose different forms of expression. And you know what I’ve discovered? Sometimes a poem says it best. I pray that this one blesses you.

Empty Arms

No one warned her it was coming,
the lost feeling that hovered
when the caregiving stopped.
But a friend brought clarity
with two simple words—
Empty arms.

A different time, a different place,
he never dreamed how deep the void,
never knew what lost really meant
until heaven claimed his love,
until she no longer stood by his side.
Empty arms.

Across the way, a young couple grieved,
brokenhearted and alone.
The cherished dream would never be theirs,
A child of their own they’d never see,
a primal yearning withheld.
Empty arms.

A hurried goodbye on a college campus
and then tears the entire drive home.
Her daughter’s room so empty
yet bearing her mark,
the pain of letting go pours in.
Empty arms.

What can we do when such times come
how do we handle the ache?
Let’s turn to the One ever ready to help,
hand him each hurt until nothing remains
but the welcome relief of
Empty arms.

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22a

*How has God helped you handle an empty arms situation in your life?

*Flickr photo by whatmegsaid

Filed Under: comfort, grief, help, poem, writing

In Times of Crisis: Only God

October 28, 2012 by 8 Comments

Times of crisis come into all our lives. None of us is exempt. Some we see coming, some we don’t, but all have the potential to knock us flat—and keep us there if we don’t know where to turn.

I pray this will be someone’s answer today. Be blessed as you read, dear friends.

Only God

Impossible situations

With towering odds,
The questions all different
The answer the same—
 “Only God.”
A job is gone
And money with it,
How will we manage—
Only God.
The tests are back
With devastating results,
Where do we turn—
Only God.
A marriage teeters
All hope is gone,
Who can restore it—
Only God.
Hearts are ripped open
With grief and despair,
How to stand now—
Only God.
Where is our hope,
Our strength, our peace,
Who can heal and redeem,
He alone is the answer—
Only God.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2

*How has God been your answer recently?

*Flickr photo by baronsquirrel

**The Life Notes Subscriber Appreciation Giveaway is still underway. Details are in my Oct. 17 post and sign-up is to the right. Don’t miss out on the chance to win a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble!

Filed Under: burden, challenge, comfort, disaster, grief, help, hope, salvation, strength, trial, victory

Pain Before Pleasure

April 8, 2012 by 3 Comments

3965290660_f3a989c1c1_zSometimes new things—good things—hurt. Think of the pain that precedes or accompanies some of the happenings in our lives. Whether it’s a move, a promotion, the birth of a child, goals achieved, weight loss, or our young adult children leaving us to start responsible lives of their own, most of the time pain comes before the pleasure is realized.

In my writing life, this has certainly proved to be true. I make mistakes as I venture into new and challenging territories. I experience the pain of rejection in order to realize the pleasure and joy of publication. I put in hours and hours of labor to see my work come to completion, and the strain on the brain (as well as the tushy!) can be quite painful at times.

Pain before pleasure also marks my personal life. For instance, I don’t like the planning and packing that must precede a vacation or the fact that my arthritic joints cry out against the uncomfortable positions I must assume to pick fresh strawberries from our patch. When my girls were growing up, I dreaded the discipline I had to dish out in order to see them become responsible and caring adults. The examples could go on and on.

The principle of pain before pleasure also dots the landscape of my spiritual life—and yours as well, I’m sure. To come into relationship with Jesus, we must first feel the sting of our sin as we realize our need for a Savior. Then lessons in unconditional love and forgiveness come with the price tags of hurt and anger, while deeper relationship with our Lord often grows from periods of heartache, fear, or desperation. Yes, pain comes before the pleasure of salvation, freedom, peace, comfort, and a host of other blessings.

Let’s consider our salvation and hope of heaven a bit further. Even though we experience some pain and sorrow as we realize our sinfulness, Jesus took on the real pain for us. He suffered and died to pay the price for our sins, to make a way for us to live in victory today and to have the assurance of eternal life with Him in heaven.

As we celebrate Easter each year, we see the ultimate example of pain before pleasure. Jesus’ death before His resurrection. Darkness before light. Sorrow before joy. New life to all of us who will turn from the old sinful nature and give our hearts to the One who gave His all for us. Pain before pleasure—a pleasure for us as we gain a Savior and Friend, as we gain eternal life. A pleasure for Him as we accept His gift and become His children.

Let’s live in that pleasure today and every day. Let’s live in the joy of Easter!

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

*If you’re in a painful phase right now, take heart — pleasure will come again. Anyone have examples you’d like to share from your own life of pain before pleasure?

*Flickr photo by mikebaird, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: blessing, grief, holidays, joy, salvation, trial, victory, writing
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