Where were you a year ago???

Spiritually. Mentally. Emotionally. Relationally.

Consider where you were one year ago.

One year ago today I entered the hospital.
Feeling as if I had the flu I stayed home a few days. I had a place on my foot which had been rubbed raw …. and addressed it somewhat. However, I tended to it myself as my wife was tending to what I thought was the flu.

After about four days I had not improved…and the raw spot on my foot was infected. I finally showed it to my wife…. and she was not pleased with my keeping it to myself.

She was prompting me to go….and when my temperature climbed to over 101’ …”we” made the decision to go to the hospital.

After swabbing my infected foot…they admitted me quickly.

Staph infection in my blood.

Beginning that night I was “IV’d” continually with antibiotics. The infectious disease doctor came to see me and told me I was my own worst enemy regarding the cause of the infection.

He ordered a procedure to enter through my esophagus to look and see if the staph had gone to my heart. He told me that if that was the case…then my condition was life-threatening.

The test told him that was not the case.

For seven days there were constant IVs injecting antibiotics into my body. On the seventh day two nurses placed a PIC LINE through a vein in my arm which traveled 24” to a spot directly above my heart.

I was released from the hospital, but had antibiotics given me intraveiniously through the PIC LINE for 10 days.

After one other IV about a week later, I have been free of the staph infection.

Where were you one year ago?

I was going through these things because I had an issue I tried to take care of myself.

And failed.

Have you tried to take care of an issue that you might actually be trying to hide …and tend to yourself….???
You might be failing in that…as I did.

We cannot heal ourselves.

I needed the infectious disease doctor.

I needed the hospital.

I needed the antibiotics.

When we are dealing with health issues we need these things.

When the issue is spiritual…we need help in similar ways.

We need the people who know how to treat the issue.

The hospital we need is most likely a body of believers who can get us the attention we need.

The antibiotic we need is The Word of God.

The spiritual or emotional or marital issue you may be dealing with might not be life-threatening… however if these issues go unattended they can greatly negate any health or well being we may aspire to.

If you have a spiritual issue….it can be eternity-threatening.

If you have an emotional or marital issue…well, you know it’s life changing if it’s not addressed.

I encourage you to not hide these issues.

One year ago I hid an issue for a few days and came close to severity.

You hide an issue for too long ….it can end a part of your life.

When we say…”We’ll, I can take care of that”…..we may be entering a dangerous place.

Doctors, Hospitals and Medicines cost money because of the great value ascribed to them.

Ministers, Churches and Scripture cost only the time and effort to pursue them…..and the value ascribed is beyond price.

Well, as we will acknowledge in a week or so…

the price has already been paid.