The Miracle of Modern Medicine

It is fascinating to see the knowledge that God has given man and I plan to be a recipient of that knowledge this next week. For a young man of 70, it has become necessary to have a total knee replacement for my right knee. These joints wear out--in this case "arthritis" has taken its toll and there is nothing left but bone on bone. My reaction when the first doctor told me that I needed a knee replacement was I wanted a second opinion. After 2-3 weeks and the second doctor telling me the same thing, the pain in my knee helped me decide that it was time to have this done.

Swedish Orthopedic Institute in Seattle has a tremendous reputation and I feel very blessed to have Dr Robert Winquist to be the surgeon to do this for me. The pre-planning of the hospital in preparing the patient for surgery is outstanding. It takes away the anxiety and questions that one might have.

While I have been less than prolific in my blogging, out of necessity, I will not be posting for a few weeks.

Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

SEASONS OF LIFE

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (NIV)
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

Just as there are seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter to the weather and surroundings, there are seasons of our lives. We each experience most of them.

"A time to be born" –

In the spring of our lives, we are young and needful of teaching. Our parents teach us in ways that build our character, the "WHO" we are part of us. We derive from them our moral ethics and codes. Our teachers at school also build upon this character by building upon our abilities in different subjects throughout our years in school. The more we study, the more we learn in which ability we are stronger.

"A time to plant" –

In the summer of our lives, we go about using what we have learned in the spring of our lives. We get out of school/college; get a job in which we can demonstrate our talents. We get married and raise a family. Some of us are farmers - we "plant" food to harvest to be sold to the rest of the nations.

"A time to uproot" - Harvest times comes in the autumn of life. We draw on the resources we have 'planted', just as we harvest the vegetables from our garden to be put up for "another day". The American Dictionary gives one of it's definitions for “uproot or “pluck (KJV) as "Resourceful courage and daring in the face of difficulties; spirit."

"A time to die" –

To each of us, there comes a time in our lives, when material things no longer matter. We have reached the end of the road - the path that leads to eternal life. The destination of your soul depends on how you have lived during the 'spring, summer, and autumn'. You want to be found faithful, "hold fast (our) profession" (Hebrews 4:14), because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has gone before us to prepare a place in the heavens! The Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 15:31 "I die daily". He died to self and gave himself to God.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

My prayer is that you have made preparation for your eternal destiny! In the troubled times we find ourselves in, many have struggled, saved, planned and looked forward to the autumn of their lives when they could retire with a decent living only to find that greed and avarice in the financial centers of our country (Wall Street) has wiped out their retirement portfolios and they now face an uncertain financial future. Many are forced to delay their retirement for years, if ever and are back in the employment lines.

My heart goes out to those who find themselves in such predicaments. It is a lesson we all must learn, that we cannot put our trust in the material things of this world. Our only hope is Trust in God! Know Him! In doing so, we will find a peace that all the money in the world cannot buy.