In Everything Give Thanks

In the Bible we are told in everything to give thanks. That is often very hard and I admit that I have not always done that. Maybe today I should try to do a better job of following that instruction. But let me start from the beginning. As a student, I always enjoyed school. I was always very active. In high school I was class president, I was yearbook editor, I was in the band and chorus, and I was heavily involved in athletics. But I did live with a secret that I never shared with anyone. Though I was athletic, I could not do somersaults. I learned that fact in gym class as early as third grade. I just couldn't bend my neck and back enough to do it. I hated tumbling. I got sick when I knew we were going to do that in gym class and I found every excuse that I could to get out of it. In my mind I was sure that I was a failure - an athletic cripple. I lived with that fear even into college. Then in my middle twenties I began to have serious back and hip pain. There were days that I could barely get out of bed and at work I would avoid sitting because I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up and walk again. After treatments from my family doctor, I saw a specialist. He put me into the hospital the day before Christmas for an old-fashioned, painful myelogram. I was released late Christmas eve and we traveled to Sunbury through the snow while I was sick as a dog with a terrible headache. The diagnosis was that I had some arthritis. But when nothing was done to help with my hip and back pain I went to a rheumatologist. He measured my lung expansion and diagnosed me with ankylosing spondilitis, a condition where the spinal column fuses and you can not bend properly. It is a condition that can't be cured, although there are meds that sometime can help with the pain. I was told to watch my posture so that I wouldn't be bent over as my spine fused. Later in life I was also diagnosed with stenosis of the spine which also contributes to pain and loss of flexibility. Just recently it dawned on me that this is probably why I could not do somersaults. If only I had known that then, it would have relived the emotional stress that I quietly lived with. The good news is that in recent years the disease has appeared to have gone into remission and my spinal fusing doesn't appear to be getting any worse. I have learned to live with it and not complain. Most folks don't even know that I live with this pain. At times the pain is moderate and meds help. But there are times, like last week, when I am unable to take my daily walk. I also live with headaches that come from the spinal problems. I know my spine is fused because I have trouble bending over to pick things up and I have trouble getting into cars. I often have trouble standing straight until I can stretch out. I should not lift or push things, but I do, and then I often pay the price for having done that. But getting back to my original thought, I have never thanked the Lord for this disease and I can't say that I've ever prayed to be healed. That would really take a miracle. And I can't say that I know why God has allowed me to have this. But there are things that I can be thankful for. First, despite the pain and discomfort, I don't think I've ever missed a day of work because of the disease. My family did about 1,000 programs over the years in numerous churches, and I was always able to carry and set up the equipment. We never had to cancel a program. I am usually able to sleep, although there are nights when sitting on a heating pad is more comfortable. I have not experienced the eye problems that often come from this disease. And it appears that the fusing has stopped or at least slowed down. I'm also good at predicting the weather, maybe even better than the weathermen. And I don't need to do somersaults anymore. There are daily reminders that there are many worse things that could have happened to me and that many folks are in much worse shape than I am. And so today I need to thank the Lord for this condition and for the dependence on Him that I have learned. And I thank Him that despite the disease, He has allowed me to enjoy nearly 70 good years of life, with its many blessings. And I now know that I wasn't "crazy" when I was in school. That is a relief. God is so good. Is there something hard that you need to thank Him for? Better do it today. Happy Thanksgiving!