Well…here I sit and sit and sit as I enter week two of post-surgery recovery! My day has little variation and I can always be assured that there will be sitting! One exciting highlight is my ride in the car to therapy! Once I get there, however, the torture begins! Friday, the doctor aspirated my knee with a needle that made me nearly fall off the table! I now have a whole new level of compassion for anyone that’s gone through this. It’s not fun but not serious so I don’t want to sound like a whiney baby! Other than sitting, however, I can walk with crutches which is worthy of You-Tube…it’s a little comical at times!

Now, perhaps you can see why I’m bored! Nonetheless, I promised I’d use my time wisely. I’ve been able to read and do a lot of thinking. Naturally, when something is taken, I realize how valuable it is. It’s like when the power goes out, I realize how I take electricity for granted. Being able to move around, and have the freedom to do what I want or need, has been compromised. I walked around my kitchen today wishing I could cook. Then, I wandered into my laundry room longing to do some laundry! (I know I’m strange!) I wanted to drive my car, leave my house, or go somewhere….AAAHHHH!!!

l trudged back to my room, hooked back up to the ice machine I have to use on my knee, and watched the beautiful, fluffy snowfall. I had a choice to get sad or get busy…I chose the latter. After all, I’m thankful to have a house to be in and grateful that my surgery wasn’t serious. Sure, to be honest, I feel crummy but this has an end. “The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun!” Yes, I’m singing it too!

Anyway, with resolve, I did what I could do and realized the many advantages to having this surgery and recovery. My body wasn’t the only thing needing it, my spirit needed recovery too. The freedom that I felt was taken, had really been given instead. For weeks, I’ve huffed and puffed through days and weeks wishing for quiet time. I’d look at the books on my nightstand, which had gone untouched, and longed to give them my undivided attention. I realized my books weren’t the only things needing it either. Having time to really talk to God made me see how He was getting my attention but it was divided…some here, some there, and some in-between.

I was reading Come Away My Beloved and one of the daily readings posed this question, ”Does God have my affection?”. I thought further and asked myself, “If he has my affection, does He have my time?”

Don’t we give our time to what we love or whom we love? If something or someone gets ignored for too long, something happens, or doesn’t happen, to let us know. There are times when we’re searching for answers when we only need to ask questions. If we’re honest with ourselves, those answers can usually explain a lot. If we unravel the mystery, the clues are often pointing at us. Simply put, we can see what we’ve committed by whom we’ve omitted.

Many years ago, Frances J. Roberts wrote the aforementioned book. I’ve had several copies of that classic that I’ve given away. But just like God, a dear friend bought me a lovely pocket devotional that sits by my bed or in my purse. For now, it’s bedside so I can read it methodically because the words are so deep and meaningful. The author described her writings with profound words that brought tears to my eyes and understanding to much of life’s major or minor ordeals.

Just a few words described her work, “Forged in the crucible of life.” Just a few words describe my reply, “Forge Ahead!”

Well…I have an interesting day ahead. My life’s course took a little detour mid-December in the form of an accident leading to an injury leading to a nuisance! I have surgery to repair torn ligaments, in my knee, in a few hours. I’ve had my routine interrupted and I don’t like it! So, I try to contemplate and find God in it all. Surely, He will help me find the silver lining in this cloud! Years ago, I remember reading something and I’ve never forgotten it, “Every cloud is a flag to God’s faithfulness.”

If we could mark every battle we’ve been through, we could see God’s faithfulness. When a battle is won, you’ll see a soldier plant their country’s flag. That flag says, “This is ours now, we won!” Looking back, I can see God’s grace and it is as amazing as that classic hymn describes!

I think back on the night of my injury. It was a dark, cold December night but outside I heard my son in distress. I didn’t stop and think, I ran! It was an instant reaction and off I went. When I ran to get to him, I stumbled in a hole in the yard since it was damp and dark! My knee had multiple tears, as a result, according to the doctors. All that really mattered was…my son was okay.

Oh well! The real story is how God rescues us, exactly the same way, when we're in distress. He has an instant reaction too! And all that really matters is... we're okay.

So I’ve taken a side-trip…literally and figuratively! I’ll have a few weeks of recovery so I hope to write more! In the meantime…I’ll be planting flags!

When I was a teenager in the seventies, the Jesus Movement was in full-swing. It was the first time I’d ever heard the term “born-again” or what it meant to go to a bible study with my paperback Living Translation Bible. As most others, we sat in a circle with our fellow brothers and sisters - another popular term. There were always guitars strumming as we’d begin singing. I can still remember a few of our favorites. We’d lift our hands, close our eyes and sway to the music as we’d sing through our born-again tears. We knew what it meant to be saved and set apart…it meant something then but that’s another story. Anyway, I can still hear us singing, “They’ll Know we are Christians by our Love.” Three words said it all - God is Love. It was on our t-shirts, bracelets, bumper-stickers, and the posters on our bedroom walls. Love was the message…hmmm, hasn’t it always been, really?

Another song was, “It only takes a Spark to Get a Fire Going,” I’m not even sure if these are the titles but my fellow “Jesus People” (as we were called) will remember! I don’t know what made me drift back to “yesteryear”, but I often get that way when I see something of historical significance.

Today is Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In America, we celebrate the life of the slain civil rights leader and the advancements he made in a country that didn’t, and unfortunately at times still doesn't, treat all people as equals. I was just a little girl, but I remember the day he was killed. I remember my dad coming into my grandma’s house, where I so often was, and telling her about the shooting. I saw the news and the newspaper and really could not wrap my young mind around such a tragedy. As I grew older, I began to comprehend the significance of the life and message of this great leader. Of course, I’ve seen his renowned and moving speech, “I Have a Dream.” Today, I saw Dr. King’s monument as thousands gathered for the Presidential Inauguration. Regardless of one’s political persuasion, the swearing in of a president is still a celebration of our great country and its democracy. Having said that, I realized this day, in inaugural history, was really made possible by Dr. King’s efforts and his “dream”. Many brave men and women fought with Dr. King but it was his “spark that got the fire going”.

His legacy still serves as an inspiration and we should stop and think that this is more than a day off from work. There is a message for all of us… have a dream and have a spark. As Christians, we can have personal goals and dreams but our dreams should extend to our fellow brothers and sisters. We have a freedom that many cannot share because our message hasn’t been heard.

In the Jesus Movement, we were taught to witness our faith and took our tracts and spark and went for it! I remember the first question we would ask someone, “Do you know that Jesus loves you?” What a way to begin…who doesn’t really want or need to hear that? We don’t need to long for those days, we just need to re-ignite. Selfishness smothers a fire but selflessness is the spark that will get it going again. Selfishness lulls us to sleep while we relish in God’s blessings as though they were meant just for us. Love is meant to be shared which is why “they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” If we act like Him, we will draw people to Him.

It’s a cold, snowy day in Ohio with temperatures in the twenties. Our home felt that chill so I went to the fireplace. It won’t start without a match but one flame started a roaring fire…just one.