Two Hospital Visits in Two Weeks - Yet His Praise is Continually on My Lips

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
~2 Corinthians 12:9b-10

I had surgery on a Friday that I almost missed because on our way we got locked out of the house. Then could not break into the house but by the grace of God a door (that is difficult to get too) was unlocked (which is NEVER unlocked). We got in got our keys and left.

I pondered if this was a way to stop me from going on with the surgery. It is something that had to be done but maybe not that day, however when things worked out I decided to go on with it. All throughout I had a crazy peace (what my pastor calls it from Phil. 4:7) that can only come through God.

Surgery went well and they found some things that were causing other issues. I was so excited to hear this because though now it was more extensive in the long run that will mean good news. I am hopeful. So we went home for recovery. All was well.

Then a week and a day after surgery I develop this excruciating arm pain in my muscle. I could not lift it without shedding tears. This was crazy pain. My husband insisted we go to the Emergency room since it was a Saturday. So off we went to the hospital again.

Turns out I had rotator cuff tendinitis in my shoulder. How crazy is that? I got it from resting. Not being an athlete or from some repetitive movement, unless if angry birds can cause that. Got a shot to help and now I am told I need to rest some more. Well, I see a key here. The key is REST.

I am not very good with resting. I like to run and do a million things. Yet I am continually humbled by being limited. My health has always been crazy like this. You would never guess a person resting after surgery would end up with a sports injury. But that kind of stuff happens to me. It happens all the time.

I have learned and affirmed that God's grace is continually sufficient in all circumstances. No matter the reason the circumstances come into our lives they are all permitted by God. Whatever He allows has a purpose. It is a way to teach us. He best gets our attention in the stillness. It is where I do hear Him more clearly. I can be thankful because I trust.

I read an amazing quote that really encouraged me. It was a statement made by a man dying with cancer. He said, "I'll be praising God for all of eternity but only during my brief time on earth can I bring Him joy through praising Him in the midst of pain." I love that because in Heaven we will be praising God but with no pain, no tears, no inconvenient circumstances. It will be praise in bliss.

However right now and here on earth it is really a sacrifice to praise in the midst of your trials. So what is it you are struggling through? Can you give God a sacrifice of praise through it now? After all these things here and now are only temporary and as Paul says it best, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

So let us give Him His due praise in whatever season we are in. We can trust that in everything we are being made more and more into His image as we learn to praise and trust.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~2 Corinthians 3:17-18