"Jesus: The Same Yesterday, Today & Forever"

I haven't blogged in FOREVER it seems! BUSY BUSY BUSY!! My BUSY-NESS was brought to a screeching halt a couple of months ago. While walking across the yard on my way to church one Sunday morning, I felt something "pop" in my back. Instantanious pain shot down my right leg, almost taking me to the ground. I paused for a moment & resumed walking. My back felt sore, but as I went on to church I became pain free. GREAT! It was ju

st a little something out of place! Nothing to worry about. As days passed, my back began to pain me again. The pain would actually go from one hip & leg to the other, never settling in one spot. As days came & went I began having more intense pain. Still believing it would "work itself out" I decided to "suck it up" & just deal with the pain! WRONG thing to do! The pain finally settled DEEP in my LEFT hip & down into my left leg. I still believed I could work it out! On this past Friday, walking outside, already bent at about a 45 degree angle, excrutiating pain hit all at once. The pain was SO intense I was having trouble even catching my breath! I made it back to the house thinking if I could relax, the muscle spasms would stop. They didn't & I ended up in the emergency room. After a pain shot, & a steroid shot, I was sent home. The ER Doc said I needed an MRI, but it was Memorial Day weekend and the techs were not available. So with pain meds in hand, I went home. The meds they gave me didn't even TOUCH the pain threshhold, so Sat. morning it's back to the ER. Again, they refused to call in the techs to do an MRI. They did not consider it an EMERGENCY! I guess not.... they weren't the one hurting! They DID give me some stronger pain killers. I was sent home again and waited til Tuesday to have the MRI done and see my family doctor. I was pretty shocked by what my doctor told me. The MRI showed two herniated discs in the lower lumbar region of my back, L3 & L4, stenosis in several places because of scar tissue from degenerative arthritis (old age)and a couple of more discs that were simply worn out from aging! He summed it up by giving me an exasperated look & said, "It's just really messy in there!" As of now, I am scheduled to see a spine specialist this Friday & hopefully put a plan of action into place. I don't know if it will involve surgery or another approach toward healing. You have to understand, I'm an OUTDOOR type guy. I despise being cooped up in the house. But here I am, and God has used the time to minister to my spirit & just spend time with me! COOL!! NOW the reason for this blog post! There are multitudes of people out there, struggling day after day just trying to live life! LIFE IS HARD! NO ONE is exempt from life's struggles. Some are hurting physically, some emotionally, some spiritually & some financially. Some suffer from dependency on drugs or alcohol. Some carry LOADS of guilt from past actions. And then there are those who are suffering more than ONE of these struggles. LIFE IS HARD! Having time on my hands, I let God lead my heart to places He wanted me to go... show me things He wanted me to see. I let Him speak to me things that I needed to hear. Alone time with God will put things in their proper perspective. I thought of those in my family & friends & church family who are also struggling. Some with cancer, some with heart disease, some with respiratory problems, crumbling marriages, errant children & a host of other needs. TROUBLE! It spans race, beliefs, gender & every class of people on every continent on this earth. When faced with these struggles, it's time to take stock of life. What really matters? What do we really believe? How are we going to put what we believe into action? For me, it was simply reaffirming who Jesus is! He is, of course, Alpha & Omega, beginning & end....... but He is also everything in between! I happened across the story of Todd & Angie Smith & their daughter Audrey Caroline. Todd is a member of the group, "Selah", one of my FAVS! Having gone for an ultrasound as they were expecting a child, they were handed the most devastating news any parent can get. When the doctor finished with the ultrasound, he simply said, "This child has issues, that are not compatible with life!" I can tell you from experience, those words are world shattering! I can best describe it as the scene in a snowglobe. Yes, things inside the globe move & shift & can even get turned upside down.... but everything is still surrounded, held in check & protected by that thin outer shell. But drop that globe... break that outer shield..... & the whole world falls apart! My wife & I have been there! We have little children awaiting us in Heaven. Reunion awaits.... but the loss is ever so real. The doctor gave Angie a moment to contemplate the diagnosis & then asked, "What are you thinking"? Her answer is ASTOUNDING! She replied, "I BELIEVE MY JESUS IS THE SAME NOW AS WHEN I WALKED INTO THIS ROOM"! YES!! YES!! There it IS! The undeniable truth, spoken by the one who IS truth! JESUS, the same yesterday & today & forever! That answer embodies the steadfast faith the Word of God says we can have!! Thru that statement rings these truths: No diagnosis from a doctor renders Jesus incapable of ANYTHING! It may SEEM that the world has tilted on it's axis & we will be flung unceremoniously into a void so dark that we will never again see light. But ONE word.... one precious name "JESUS" escaping our lips & Jesus comes to our rescue. Yes, we may STILL have to walk thru the flood or we may STILL pass thru the fire, or we may still have to traverse the darkness filled with the screaming hordes of Hell's demons..... we may still suffer loss but faith will lead us to GREAT gain! Jesus has promised to be WITH us, STAND beside us, GIRD us in HIS strength, LEAD us & SEE us safely thru. If you let them, the words people say in attempting to strengthen you, will be nothing more than meaningless, unwanted cliches! But, I encourage you... look beyond the cliches & find the TRUTH! "Jesus, the Same Yesterday, Today & Forever" Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? Are your sins covered by His blood which He shed on Calvary? He WANTS to be your Savior! He died for YOU! You can call upon His name right now, wherever you are & He will answer you & give you life everlasting. All you have to do is: Confess that you are a sinner. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is God's Son, slain for your sin, raised from the dead by God's holy power and you will be saved! Don't let the seeming simplicity fool you! This is the biggest day of your life! You have come face to face with the Savior of the world & He has welcomed you into the family of God! PLEASE! If you have made a decision for Christ & need to tell someone about it.... write a response & let us rejoice with you as you begin your new journey as a new creation in Christ. God bless you!