"It's me again, Lord!"

It’s a wonderful Wednesday here in the neighborhood on this September 3, 2008. Today is my baby brother’s 60th birthday. Wow! All four of us remaining siblings are now in our 60’s! It wasn’t that long ago we were all in our 50’s. I pray that God will bless him on his birthday. I think I cracked a rib on Saturday and it is causing me a fair amount of grief. It makes me move as slow as molasses on an ice-cold morning. Not really, but I do like that imagery so I wanted to use it anyway. I must confess my rib injury was self-inflicted and to make it worse, it was done in a moment of spontaneous anger. I was in my car and had something fall off the passenger seat over against the opposite door. When I leaned over to reach it I could touch it but not quite get it. Therefore, the Scotch Irish flash took over and in a split second I violently slammed my rib cage into the middle console and gearshift to prove I could get hold of it. End result: I came, I conquered, and technically I won the skirmish, but the war is in doubt because my rib cage feels like someone has banged on it with a sledgehammer. I’m certainly not going to complain too loudly because I know all too well the person responsible! Sixty plus and still learning the hard way, but thank You, Lord, it could have been worse!

Let me think for a moment. Maybe my blood sugar was out of whack. Maybe the stress I have been feeling caused me to over react. Maybe it was something my wife said or did but she was at work, therefore, it wasn’t her, (this time). It could be the Republicans and President Bush because according to what I heard during the democratic convention, they are responsible for every wrong that has ever been known to humanity. How about it being nothing more than a totally uncalled for response that clearly demonstrates the battle I continue to wage against that most troublesome trinity made up of me, myself, and I? I am in good company. The Apostle Paul writing to the Church at Rome (Chapter 7) said his ‘old-man’ nature or flesh caused him often to end up not doing what he should do or doing what he shouldn’t do. Fortunately he didn’t end this dilemma without a solution. He went on to say that victory was available but only through the power of the resurrected and living Christ!

I heard a message once about how those who regularly fasted during Bible times would allow the hunger pains to be a trigger for their thoughts about God. Every time one hit them they would praise God and seek His help. Perhaps this would be a good way for me to deal with this rib injury because it does cry out for attention every time I move or cough. Meanwhile, I must follow that old adage we’ve heard from the past, “If it hurts when you do that, how about not doing it?” That would have been a wonderful suggestion that could have come in handy before, but it is still valid, just too late for this particular incident. Yeah, I could go for that cop out that says I’m only human but as Paul said I do have an overcoming power available if I seek Him instead of my own inclination! Take that Mr. Me, Myself, and I, and try not to cough today! Amen. More later.