Growing Up!

Yesterday was one of those sweet but sad times for us as my wife and I bid a fond farewell to the wonderful staff at Sutter’s Brain Health Center in San Francisco.  This loving and caring team of professionals have been an answer to our prayers since our first appointment with Dr. Catherine Madison back in August of 2011.  As I shared with Dr. Madison, we had been to ten different doctors up until that time.  Most of the other doctors were good, but they seemed to have lacked the personal connection that my wife and I desired.  From the moment they met, Piper and Dr. Madison became buddies!  They hugged, sat next to each other and smiled throughout that first two hour meeting.

Dr. Madison seemed to understand my wife’s needs better than any of the other doctors, was open, honest and positive in her diagnosis of Piper’s condition, and was always forthcoming in answering my many questions.  Their whole team has always been supportive and available to us at any time.  I am very thankful for their care and would whole-heartedly recommend their office to anyone dealing with similar circumstances as we have been over these last four years.

As we spoke yesterday, I mentioned about how much I have personally learned throughout the journey we have been on.  Dr. Madison’s reply was that one has to learn and grow when thrust into situations such as these.  In many respects, I feel as though I have grown up and in doing so have become more organized, more disciplined and more confident in doing what I feel the Lord has led me to do, without yielding to the negative words and reactions of those with whom we come into contact with.

With this vein of thought in mind, I Corinthians 13:11 once again jumped out at me in my study time today.  I literally stiffened in my chair as my eyes glanced over at the Moffatt translation that was opened to this verse as it sat on the sideboard of my desk.  Paul’s words that “NOW that I am a man, I am DONE with childish ways” simply arrested me!

This experience with my wife’s health has caused me to step up and get serious with God!  That may sound like a silly statement coming from a Pastor, but when one’s faith becomes this personal… it is different!  It seemed like everything I ever did, or taught was always for someone else’s benefit.  But this time it was brought home to the one person in my life that means more to me than anyone else!  There came the time when I realized that we weren’t playing games anymore… that this is my wife’s life that we are dealing with… and that God was the only one who could pull this off!  From that point on, everything and everyone else has taken a back seat!

The interesting lesson that I have been learning and sharing in this blog is how the Apostle Paul directly correlated our love walk with that of a mature individual.  When he was asked to comment on the selfish behaviors that were troubling the Corinthian church, he immediately responded with a frank and open discussion on the attributes of Godly love as the answer!

The answer to the negative reports (or people) that I have had to deal with is the same as that proposed by Paul a few thousand years ago.  The mature or manly thing for me to do is to put aside childish ways and grow up in Him.  To me that has meant to obey His Word and directions without question, whether it is uncomfortable, new to me, or not well received by those who might be close to us.  As far as I can see, at this point, my options are limited… and my wife and I have made the decision let go of childish ways – pouting when I don’t get my own way, living in the past, running away from responsibilities, striking out when hurt – and constantly complaining about those who haven’t been very supportive of us (and boy…that one hasn’t always been too easy!) and to follow Him… or as Paul said… to follow love!

The time to grow up is NOW!  So, take a deep breath, put aside any childish tendencies and walk and act like a mature person… in other words… walk and talk in the sweet and intimate, ever increasing knowledge of His love for you in the way that you live out your daily life!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”