The Sadness of Sickness
By Pastor Troy
Today is Alexa’s birthday and we had all sorts of fun planned. . . . However . . . our plan didn’t work out the way we had intended. We originally thought Alexa could pick two friends to go bowling.
Yes, bowling.
What wrong with that? I think it’s a great idea…plus we had received a coupon in the mail to play up to ten games for free. :) Now you know why I have become so excited about bowling—the same reason I get excited about anything for free.
We were going to pick up the kiddos from school and head to the bowling alley . . . that is . . . until I got a phone call this morning from Leigh-Ann.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it’s me. Sophie’s puking."
"What? What did she eat this morning?"
"Crackers."
Not Good. The only good thing at this point is that I took the right road for the rest of the conversation . . . only a few years ago, I would have said something to the affect of, “She’ll be ok - maybe we can just take her for a little while.”
After years of parenting experience under my belt, I said, “When do you need me home, and what should I pick up at the store?” [Men, take note, this type of response will buy you at least two hours of football per week.]
So after looking all over the grocery store for saltine crackers and Sierra Mist, I made it to the check-out, just in time to have someone cut right in front of me with her cart and then walk away to find a few more items. Frustration level is rising . . . she returns just in time to pay for her food . . . with a check. I know this may sound crazy, but every time someone in front of me in line pulls out the check book I blow out an extra sigh of frustration. It takes forever to write checks . . . hello, how about the debit card?
After getting into the car, I call Leigh-Ann assuring her I will be home in 5 minutes . . . that is until I find myself behind a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln, attempting to make a left turn. This could take weeks. Finally, after traffic has cleared out for at least 2 miles (maybe not quite that far), the car begins to inch forward. By now I can’t wait for the on-ramp to I-70 . . . let me take a little aggression out on the gas pedal (without speeding of course).
I finally get home and Sophie is laying on the couch in a pathetic mess . . . she is nearly asleep with an incredibly sad look on her face. For the next two hours, I was able to work on my message in between trips to the bathroom.
This is the part of the story that makes me proud . . . even more proud than watching her roll a strike at the bowling alley. . . she never missed the bucket. She was 6 for 6. If having a virus (this is not the flu contrary to common opinion) were a sport, she would be a professional. Even more incredible, she didn’t even complain. This made it even sadder to watch her every time she had an “episode.” I felt so bad for her, because I knew that she was being so good even though she hurt so much.
It was natural for me to have pity because I love her so much and I know how bad she feels. This Sunday, we will take a close look at the woman caught in adultery from John 8:1-11. True to character, Jesus astounded the religious leaders of His day with His response to their test. In the end He was able to restore an individual and leave a clear message of compassion to all who witnessed the event. There are many applications that will give us strength and courage to be “Agents of Restoration.” I hope you will be able to spend some time reviewing the passage and praying that God will teach you much through the message.
I hope you have a great day….I’m heading to the store for the second time today, so let’s hope you’re not in front of me.
Today is Alexa’s birthday and we had all sorts of fun planned. . . . However . . . our plan didn’t work out the way we had intended. We originally thought Alexa could pick two friends to go bowling.
Yes, bowling.
What wrong with that? I think it’s a great idea…plus we had received a coupon in the mail to play up to ten games for free. :) Now you know why I have become so excited about bowling—the same reason I get excited about anything for free.
We were going to pick up the kiddos from school and head to the bowling alley . . . that is . . . until I got a phone call this morning from Leigh-Ann.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it’s me. Sophie’s puking."
"What? What did she eat this morning?"
"Crackers."
Not Good. The only good thing at this point is that I took the right road for the rest of the conversation . . . only a few years ago, I would have said something to the affect of, “She’ll be ok - maybe we can just take her for a little while.”
After years of parenting experience under my belt, I said, “When do you need me home, and what should I pick up at the store?” [Men, take note, this type of response will buy you at least two hours of football per week.]
So after looking all over the grocery store for saltine crackers and Sierra Mist, I made it to the check-out, just in time to have someone cut right in front of me with her cart and then walk away to find a few more items. Frustration level is rising . . . she returns just in time to pay for her food . . . with a check. I know this may sound crazy, but every time someone in front of me in line pulls out the check book I blow out an extra sigh of frustration. It takes forever to write checks . . . hello, how about the debit card?
After getting into the car, I call Leigh-Ann assuring her I will be home in 5 minutes . . . that is until I find myself behind a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln, attempting to make a left turn. This could take weeks. Finally, after traffic has cleared out for at least 2 miles (maybe not quite that far), the car begins to inch forward. By now I can’t wait for the on-ramp to I-70 . . . let me take a little aggression out on the gas pedal (without speeding of course).
I finally get home and Sophie is laying on the couch in a pathetic mess . . . she is nearly asleep with an incredibly sad look on her face. For the next two hours, I was able to work on my message in between trips to the bathroom.
This is the part of the story that makes me proud . . . even more proud than watching her roll a strike at the bowling alley. . . she never missed the bucket. She was 6 for 6. If having a virus (this is not the flu contrary to common opinion) were a sport, she would be a professional. Even more incredible, she didn’t even complain. This made it even sadder to watch her every time she had an “episode.” I felt so bad for her, because I knew that she was being so good even though she hurt so much.
It was natural for me to have pity because I love her so much and I know how bad she feels. This Sunday, we will take a close look at the woman caught in adultery from John 8:1-11. True to character, Jesus astounded the religious leaders of His day with His response to their test. In the end He was able to restore an individual and leave a clear message of compassion to all who witnessed the event. There are many applications that will give us strength and courage to be “Agents of Restoration.” I hope you will be able to spend some time reviewing the passage and praying that God will teach you much through the message.
I hope you have a great day….I’m heading to the store for the second time today, so let’s hope you’re not in front of me.
posted by Admin at
7:34 PM
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