Luck has NOTHING to do with It!

Well, you’ll be happy to know that I made it through the next steps of the saga of our teeth!  The dog came through her oral surgery with flying colors and within a day snapped right back into her old sparky self.  The first thing she did yesterday when she got up was to bound into the living room, jump on the couch, spin onto her back and start barking… all the while watching Piper and I as we sat at the kitchen table, to see our reaction!

I had my consult with the oral surgeon yesterday as well.  It looks like I need to get the remnants of four infected teeth removed before we can start the process of implants or whatever it takes to chew properly again!  I also have one void in front where a tooth was pulled soon after our return to California a few years back, that has been a source of embarrassment to me, so it will be nice to be able to freely smile again.  We scheduled the surgery in combination with our daughter and her husband’s schedules so that Jamie can stay with Piper and David can drive me to and from the appointment.  Ahh… as I was telling Jamie yesterday, it is a blessing to have kids in the same town again!

As I was puttering around the kitchen this morning getting Piper’s “Cocoa Mocha Boost” hot drink (as I call it) together, I thought about how I was FINALLY getting the much needed work on my teeth done!  I mentioned to Piper that there was a time when we were first dealing with her diagnosis and finances were a little tight, when I seriously doubted that I would EVER have normal, healthy teeth again!  Then when finances improved, I was so busy with her care that my needs were simply put (way back) on the back burner.  All I could consider was her needs!

Since we’ve been out here on the other side of the country in North Carolina, things have been different though.  I guess it all goes along with that feeling that this is home that I have felt since our first week.  Our life just seems to have stabilized and even though Piper’s physical needs vary from day to day and in fact, take more physical assistance on my behalf, I still feel a freedom to do many things that I never felt possible back in California.

What really struck me this morning was how faithful Papa God is to us.  As I sit here at the kitchen table right now, I can think of numerous times where He turned the impossible into reality for us over the last six years.  If I was an unbeliever I would probably attribute it to luck… but let me tell you, LUCK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!

We sit where we do today because of the love, faithfulness and almost unimaginable power and authority of God and His Word.  I look back to 2009 and 2010 and think about all we went through, the changes that were trust upon us, the prayerful decisions and directions we felt led to take, the persecution and rejection we’ve had to deal with along the way and the amazing reality that just about everything the Lord told us to do has miraculously worked out for our benefit… JUST LIKE HE SAID IT WOULD!

We’ve still got a long way to go in this daily battle for my wife’s health, but were not about to give up now!  I had an eye opening revelation from God’s Word yesterday as I completed my study in my favorite book of the bible – Colossians - and moved into my next favorite book of Ephesians.  The seventh verse in chapter one in the God’s Word © translation, explains that “Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins.  God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness (or grace in the KJV).” 

After reading that I had to sit back in my chair and rejoice in its meaning to me!  I looked across the room to patio that was being showered with the early morning rays of sunshine and exclaimed: “I am set free from being associated with my sins and failures!  My failures or shortcomings no longer dictate who I am!  As a believer I am now ‘in Christ’ and am thereby associated with His victory, His successes, His powerful abilities… and covered, as well as endowed with, His love and grace!”

Then it struck me… “I am not just ‘an old sinner saved by grace’ but am a completely NEW creation.  That old me and anything that would ever serve to point me back to that old self and way of life IS DEAD!  I am now a full-fledged member of the royal family of God with access and legal right to all His kingdom’s attributes, benefits, resources and authority!”

With all that said and done, I guess that I should not be surprised with all the positive things that we have stepped out in faith for and steadfastly believed for coming to past over these last years… but you know I am still humbled and amazed!  I think that is part of a natural reaction for all of us Christians as we continue to increase in our intimate, experiential knowledge of Christ love for each of us. (See: Ephesians 3:19-20)

So what am I trying to say here?  NEVER GIVE UP – no matter how long it takes - on your stands of faith in Papa God and His Word.  A few years ago, I may not have been able to see my teeth getting fixed… but today I stand here with the process started and the insurance and personal finances in place to handle it… ISN’T GOD GOOD!  To Him be ALL the glory and honor!

I am sooooo thankful that as I seek to follow Him to the best of my ability, that I do not have to receive ANY condemnation from myself or my friends or family that may, at times, attempt to judge me by my past failures or what they consider to be my shortcomings. (See: Romans chapter eight)  God looks upon you and me as His children with the heart of a loving and forgiving Father.  I also believe that He wants us to see ourselves as His kids and to walk triumphantly with the limitless tools of His kingdom at our disposal!

Have a GREAT weekend.  Share His love and faithfulness with those around you.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or How am I expecting to live my life today?”