Health

I remember thinking when I was a kid that people were very odd when they would say things like, "at least I have my health..." I thought at the time that of course you have your health. What are you talking about? Through the years I have learned to appreciate the sentiment.

When I was 18 yrs old and at Bible College my room mate grabbed my Pepsi and took a drink while I was in the bathroom. When I entered the room and took another swig of the drink she said, "Oh yeah, I might still be contagious. I had mono." After a time I became very sick and sure enough I had mono. My body has not been terribly strong ever since. I have enjoyed seasons of great health and seasons of challenges.

My 20's were filled with hospital visits not only for the births of my three sons but for bouts of pneumonia, gall bladder, and other things. My 30's and 40s I was pretty healthy. Now I am challenged with fibromialgia. My doctor is wonderful and he has helped me a lot in management of all the stuff that goes with it. I have been attempting to go by all the suggestions he has given me and taking all the vitamins and meds etc.

Today, I feel great! I know that is trivial to a lot of people, but there are very few days in my life that I have been able to say that I am experiencing no pain...at all! How great is that? This is a "red letter day"! (Someone asked me what a red letter day was? What does that mean? On our old calendars all the holidays and Sundays were marked by having the numbers in that square written with red ink. We looked forward to those special days so when something great happened we said it was a "red letter day".)

I realize that there are a whole bunch of people who are in a lot worse shape than I will ever be. I pray that one day you will be able to feel better. I am praying for your "red letter day"!

Are You a Catfish or Do You Have a Catfish?

Are You a Catfish or Do You Have a Catfish?
You may be wondering about that title about now. Yesterday I was listening to John Hagee on television. He gave an interesting example in his sermon that I will paraphrase here. He said that in the eastern United States when the cod fish industry was just beginning to get orders for their product in distant areas, they began by freezing the cod fish and sending them. The fish did not taste very good when the consumers prepared them so they went with plan B. They shipped them alive in water. If anything, they tasted worse. One of the men came up with an idea to try. He put a catfish in the water with the vat of cod fish. Catfish are natural enemies to cod fish. When they arrived they were better than fresh caught! The catfish kept them active and fresh.His point was that God gives us conflict to keep us fresh and alive. When I told Terry this story I informed him that I was changing his nickname to Catfish! He didn't say it but I think he was thinking the same thing about me.I have wondered why there is always some conflict whether large or small and nagging in my life. I guess it keeps me on my toes and on my knees. There is nothing like a crises to increase your prayer life. That is for sure. It shouldn't be that way, but let's face it; it is.Next time someone gets on your nerves just smile and think..."catfish".