Big Deals

Think back to when you were a child…what was your main concern? Scrapped knees from accidents on roller skates or a bike were no fun. I busted through the front door of my house many times screaming in pain. Bloody knees were tragedies to me.

One bike accident literally knocked me out cold at the age of 10. My neighborhood friends stood in awe as I demonstrated how fast I could peddle. It was dusk with streetlights only beginning to warm up for the night. I was headed towards the familiar sidewalk on the busy traffic side of my block. It would be the grand finale to whip on the sidewalk and come to a sketching halt in order to leave permanent skid marks as a monument to all.

I misjudged the indention and hit the curb instead. My bike instantly stopped while my body soared in the air like a rocket. My friends screamed when I landed for they thought I was dead. But I wasn’t and came to when the cutest teenage boy on our block scooped me up to take me home to my parents.

Not much blood but was left with a swollen wrist. Two weeks later we went to the doctor to have an X-ray for the wrist that didn’t stop swelling. The ball of my wrist had actually come out of the socket and was now healing in that position. The doctor asked me how much I liked Mickey Mouse while he took my arm and re-broke my wrist in his office. No Novocain. That was a very big deal to me.

Life moves on to bigger deals, doesn’t it? Pain and suffering can intensify in other ways besides physical. I forgot to mention last week that the temperature of the flame used to refine gold is 2,400 degrees. So, how about the heat in your heart for peace, understanding, love, acceptance, and more? The process Jesus uses to bring us to the simplicity of His sweet love is a process through the trials of this life.

“…We glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4

Have you thanked God for your sufferings? They can be very productive.