Pain, Patience, and Parables. Part 2/2.

So, if you weren't aware, I was in a bike accident.

Refer here to part 1: Part 1. (PS. I made a pun in the last major paragraph, which I find hilarious. haha) I ended up having surgery on Wednesday and everything seems to have gone perfectly well. I'm going in for a follow-up appointment with the surgeon on Thursday morning and my arm isn't really in pain anymore and I'm (somewhat) typing with two hands again (although the left hand only gets to type e,w,a,s,d,z,x and left-shift (he usually gets to type a little more of the keyboard too)(I only normally type with like 2 to 4 fingers. xP)).

But part 2 is mostly about what I was thinking throughout the day in relation to God and the Bible (hence parables).

To start, looking back on the accident itself I'm really quite happy about the way it all happened. The day started with a good solid time in the Bible and looking at who God is and trusting in His goodness. Which was somewhat uncommon at the time. Had it not started that way, I don't think the rest of the day would have happened the same way.

First, the accident itself, praise God, was so benign. A bump to the head; like 10 stitches; a couple scrapes; a bit of a sore neck and shoulder; and a broken ulna bone, which is pretty much better now. It wasn't a serious accident, but it could have been so much worse. I kept thinking about how everything had been planned. GM had messaged me like two weeks prior to go biking and we ended up on that date because I was free. We could have chosen any other week. Had I not gone biking that Saturday, I would have biked to church the next day alone, which has a lot more street biking. I could have ended up unconscious, on the road, alone Sunday morning rather than on the side of a bike path, fully conscious, with a buddy, 5 blocks to a hospital. The idea that God works all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8) kept coming to mind. He kept me from a worse injury. He has given me more time in the Word and reading other encouraging materials. He has shown me so much love through my brothers and sisters in Christ. He's brought me closer with my parents. There's so little here that has been a downside. xP Yesterday SC even told me how me and JF (a fractured radius) being in bike accidents caused him to check his bike and not ride it when a bolt was missing. Our injuries have caused everyone in the church to be much more aware and safe with biking!

Secondly, I, and GM and others, were amazed at how calm I was during the whole thing. When it happened, my first response (which surprised me too) was to pray. And through the whole thing I was thinking so clearly and calmly. It was insane. Looking back while I was in a room waiting for stitches the thought of Phil4 came to mind: 'pray about all things and the peace that surpasses understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus'. Honestly, one of my thoughts at the time were like 'we need to press down on the wound to stop the bleeding. we need to breathe slower and get our heart rate down to slow blood loss. we need to make sure anything we feel or any loss of sight or anything is conveyed to GM so he can tell the paramedics when they get here. etc.' and then I also answered all of the questions about who, what, where, why, how, etc. perfectly.

Third, I think I got a bit of a picture of Israel waiting for the Messiah to come. Maybe this was just me experiencing a prolonged waiting, which I normally don't, but it really was a long wait, and I was in a fair bit of pain. The guy in blue was my Jesus. Kendrick. Xrays were taken at like 2:30 pm after I had been stitched up, but nothing happened until 3:30. Kendrick came and told me about my arm. He had to go and talk with his seniors, but he would be back. So I waited in pain, mostly singing hymns and praying. One time he came back and said I needed a CT scan. Cool. More waiting. Around 6 pm I almost gave up hope that he'd be back. Maybe he went for dinner. When does his shift end anyways? Got a CT scan. Kendrick came back. This time literally just to say "we haven't forgotten about you. I will be back soon!" It was like 10 pm when he finally came back and gave me the final news, but he gave me a cast and gave me pain killers. He showed genuine concern for me and talked me through everything and sent me home. It was a long day, waiting for rest and comfort from my self-inflicted pain, but time after time it was prophesied that the saviour would come. (I realize this is a bit of a stretch, but the hope that Kendrick was coming back and that he actually cared really got me through what could have been millennia of waiting. haha)

So ya, it's been cool. xP And of course, this light and momentary pain is nothing in comparison to the future glory we have as children of God (Rom 8).

Ttyl,

D.Fa

Changing Gears

The other day I was talking with a good brother of mine and I think he said something very simple, but very profound: "is there any progress at all?"

I had been somewhat complaining to him about how deep I feel the depths of sin in my heart and mind are, that even now it sometimes feels like there's nothing but wrong on my mind. But he asked if there was any progress. He admitted it wasn't something that was easily quantifiable and is more of a long term process, but further clarified:

"Have I grown to be / walk more like Christ since last year, even since last month if you can see the difference?
Am i drawing towards God more?

Am i yearning for Him and his word more?

Has He become more of what ultimately satisfies, the one we find joy and pleasure in over other things?

How have you seen God work in your life lately?

And it doesn't meant you're always right with God, sometimes you can feel lonely, but have you seen him transforming you?

What steps are you taking to combat this sin?

Have you just sat there and been content or are you aggressively fighting?

Is fighting this sin a priority in your life, where does it stand?"

"Have you seen progress?"

Sometimes, often, I want to skip to the ending where all the progress is done already. And I had been thinking about it lately as I've been biking. Whenever I come to a hill, my first response is to see it coming and pedal as fast as I can on the highest gear before I get to the hill and just use the momentum to keep pedaling at that speed and get to the top. For smaller hills this seems to work well, but for larger hills, it invariably does not work. Soon the hill makes it so you cannot even pedal, and you may have to walk the bike up the hill.

The idea of switching gears had always seemed kinda dumb to me.

When you switch to a lower gear you can't go as fast. If there is a hill, you'll spend more time on it barely moving. But when you switch to a lower gear it is easier to pedal uphill. Although you end up going a little slower, sometimes a lot slower, you are making progress! And at the top of the hill you will not have been so out of breath and wouldn't have had to walk to bike up the hill.

I live on a hill, so every time I bike I need to go up a hill. haha.

But in our lives with Christ, there will be hills, there will be mountains even. But by the Holy Spirit, even if it takes time and may be difficult, He can move mountains and bring everything to completion on the day of Jesus Christ. What He has started He will finish.

D.Fa