GODDIDIT!

I have been telling people for a while now that "God broke my leg." I am as sure about that as I am that He led me to the ministry in which I am currently serving. I am also sure that several years ago, God led me to begin ultramarathoning--although now He has seemingly brought that to a halt.

Okay, I'm sure someone thinks I am just blaming God for all the choices I make, and that this is a poor way of explaining everything that happens in my life. Anyone has a right to think that, in fact, I would probably think the same if I heard you say it. But as I reflect on every circumstance surrounding each of these events, I see the hand of God and His wisdom all over them.

A teenager in our youth group asked me a while back, "How do you know what the will of God is for you?"... I don't. I have gone so many directions, thinking I was following God's will, and ended up somewhere totally different. All I know is that when He closes a door, He opens another. I know that what He promises in His Word is always true. I know that "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6c).

Yesterday we had some missionaries at our church. One who has served in Germany for some time, and one who is going to the "new country" of South Sudan. We watched their video presentation and listened to their testimonies. This morning, I read a newsletter from a missionary in Kenya...all the time I'm thinking, "Why did I never get to the mission field I surrendered to?"

My journey began about 14 years ago on a Wednesday night after church. I prayed, "God show me how and where you want me to serve you. I give you my whole life." That night, God called me to the Gambia, West Africa. I know He did. In fact, I believe he sent an "Angel" (He was a regular person, but in this instance He was a "messenger of God")to confirm the calling. A young man from the Gambia came in my path, and it was like God said, "Here is my answer!"

In the next few posts on this blog, I want to share some stories. If for no other reason, I want to sort out in my own mind how I got from that point some 14 years ago to where I am now. Maybe then my faith will be increased to know that whatever the future holds, I know who holds the future!

Are my running days over?

On February 8, 2011, at about 7am, I tried to return to my running regimen that had been lacking for some time. After about a half mile or so, I decided the weather was too bad, and I decided I would return home. Less than a block away from my home,in fact, right across the street, I suddenly slipped on a patch of ice. It happened so fast. I heard a "pop!" and then I was on the ground, in the ice, writhing in pain.

A police officer happened to be at the intersection when it happened. He immediately rushed out and helped to support my leg which I had forced back into a straighter position, but I could not move it by itself. There was a numbness that told me "This is not good." The officer called in an ambulance and the paramedics talked me into going to the E.R.

A couple painful hours later I find myself at the E.R. telling the doctor I do not have insurance and he tells me that this is serious and that, with or without insurance, I need to have it checked out by a specialist. He tells me that the tibia and fibula bones are both cracked and there is a fragment in there that will most likely require surgery.

Another couple painful hours later, my wife and father-in-law have rushed me to an orthopedic surgeon who was able to work me in. Also realizing I have no insurance, the doctor tells me this is even worse than the original doctor had explained.

"This is the kind of injury we get when someone jumps out of a 4th-story window," he says. Then he looks at me very seriously and describes it like a shattered vase,

"If the vase breaks into a couple pieces, you can Super Glue it back together fairly well, but if it shatters into many fragments, it is nearly impossible to fix."

He goes on, "If you don't understand this, I don't really want to be your doctor...I am certain I can get you walking, perhaps even without a limp, but you won't want to be running again."

Now I am scheduled for surgery on Monday the 14th--Happy Valentines Day, Sweetie--after the swelling has had a chance to go down. I don't know what to expect, but God is in control and I have seen Him working in the situation. We never know what His purposes and plans are, but for me, might it be that I never run again? This hasn't devastated me. Of course, I think to myself that one day I might prove the doctor wrong, but at this point I will take it one day at a time, reminding myself that God may have greater things in store...