Instead of grumbling and whining, if we go through difficult circumstances with an attitude of “What can I learn from this from the Lord to be able to grow through this and then be able to help others” – it’s amazing how we will then see our circumstances differently.

This is the promise given in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, where a portion of that says – “…Praise be the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

In the midst of Bob’s serious spine and back problems that suddenly erupted, we both tell the Lord how grateful we are for all He has given us as a married couple as well as our individual lives. We prefer to do that instead of complaining how painful this is, especially for Bob. It helps us also get a perspective on our problems when we see others who have it harder than us.

As I said last month, Bob doesn’t have a disease. He’s not sick. His health is excellent. He is just injured. What has now been brought to his attention is that since his birth he has had a deformed spine and he never knew it. Because of his athletic prowess over the years he built up a strong muscle mass that supported his spine, but after years of sports including ten years of body surfing, and now with adult degenerative scoliosis (crooked spine), plus arthritis in his cervicals and lumbars, as well as lumbar stenosis (narrowing of the spinal column channel) it all added up to take its toll. More on his current status at the close of this, but first, some lessons God taught us in May —

**Servanthood Is Not Just An Action, But An Attitude As Well.
I found out I had a lot of growing to do in the servanthood arena. Because I love Bob I naturally wanted to help him – to take care of him. At first my attitude and actions went together but as time passed the demands on me grew and my actions were the same but my attitude took a nosedive.
For example – in our family Bob usually makes his own breakfast and lunch and I prepare dinner. But with Bob not able to stand plus hardly walk, I was preparing all three meals. Now that’s not a big deal in the scheme of life but it was used to show me what being a true servant is all about. I realized my attitude of servanthood needed an adjustment when in the middle of one afternoon Bob nicely inquired about lunch. I came back with, “You have to eat again?” Gulp! I knew my attitude needed a checkup so I reread Phil 2:3-11 where it says we aren’t just to think about our own needs but about others. In this case it was Bob. And portions of that verse says “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, Who, being in very nature God….took the very nature of a servant.” Every day as I serve Bob I pray that God will give me the attitude of servanthood. (Bob helps a lot because he’s always so appreciative.) How are YOU doing when it comes to the attitude of servanthood?

**My Schedule Is Not Always God’s Schedule.
I had the month of May all planned with lots of tasks that needed to be accomplished. But after the night of my 911 call and from that day on throughout the month my agenda ‘flew out the window.’ At first it was frustrating because I am such a planner (Bob calls me the Queen of Planning) and I saw the various doctors and hospital appointments as interruptions in my schedules. But I soon realized I needed to relax and accept that God had other plans for me for the month of May and it became apparent that His plans led to us ministering to various medical personnel – that this ‘interruption’ was God’s interruption. Like Giselle and others we wrote about last month. Giselle is a nurse we just met. She’s a Christian and we extended mutual encouragement to each other regarding our walk with God. It is always a “lift” for anybody to have a quick spiritual infusion while on the workplace..
I also realized that I had been doing a lot of planning without seeking God’s guidance. In Proverbs 16:19 (LB) it says, “We should make plans – counting on God to direct us.” I am now trying to dedicate every day to the Lord – asking for His guidance and wisdom in using the hours of my day that would please Him. Also, when those “Godly interruptions” come into my life, I need to consult Him in every situation and ask Him to show me what’s important. Corre ten Boom said, “Learn to see things in right proportions. Learn to see great things great and small things small.”
Do you need to open your eyes to view your daily interruptions as possibly Godly interruptions?

**Learning To Depend Upon God.
Bob was use to being independent – meaning – getting dressed by himself, fixing a meal, taking a shower, driving places, etc. Normal, everyday stuff. All of a sudden he couldn’t do these basic things without my help. This was humbling to be so dependent upon another person to assist with your everyday needs, but through this experience we both realized this (temporary) dependency Bob has for me now is the dependency God desires for us to have on Him all the time.
John 15:5 teaches us – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man/woman remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Too often Bob and I get going doing our own thing and not have that moment by moment dependency on God. What helps us depend on Him is by continually talking with Him all throughout the day. That way we will be continually aware He is always with us.

**Laughter Is Good Medicine In Difficult Situations.
Stress can affect the way we talk to one another and stress brings out ones true character. In various waiting rooms in doctor’s offices or hospitals we observed how some couples interacted, and because of the reason they were there was stressful they often communicated loudly and impolitely to each other which indicated of what’s really in their hearts in a stressful setting. We need to keep in mind that “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22).
We agreed not to behave like that and in its place we opted to use humor whenever feasible, especially when dealing with Bob’s current circumstance. Like when I was learning to push Bob’s wheelchair around you would think that would be simple, but on more than one occasion I kept running into walls. Bob and I used humor at these times and our back and forth one-liners were hilarious. He even once told me I needed to go to Wheelchair Driving School

In conclusion, how great it is to have a team mate when you’re going through difficult times in your life. Portions of Eccl. 5:9-12 says, “Two are better than one…..if one falls down his friend can help him up……if two lie down together, they will keep warm……”
How great to have someone with you who will walk through all those painful and difficult times. It helps lighten the load. Of course we found that what helped the most was that two are better than one but the best, as mentioned in those verses, is the Cord of Three Strands – God helping us as a couple to walk through it.

**Bob’s current status
Bob and I are so very, very thankful for the outpouring of prayer, Emails, cards and phone calls that have come to us regarding the concern so many have for Bob. We are both deeply grateful and we ask you please continue to pray. As of this writing, Bob is now able to stand straight up for quite a while before he must sit down. He can now dress himself. He still has back pain and leg pain, with the reduction of that pain about 50%. He no longer needs a wheelchair and is now using a “Walker,” but hopefully he will soon be able to discard it. Next will be a cane and then back to his own two legs. He had a nerve block spinal steroid shot in his Lumbar 3/4/5 which helped. We are also using natural health ingredients, rehabilitation exercises at the gym, and chiropractic care to help restore him. He is on the road to recovery and we continue to pray that God will correct (heal) his crooked spine to serve as a divine witness to the doctors of God’s sovereign hand in all this. We know all of this is for God’s good purpose and we have experienced many spiritual conversations with doctors, nurses and technicians we wouldn’t have had if Bob didn’t have this physical challenge, including God healing him the night of my 911 call.

Next month we will give you a further update and we’re confident under God’s guidance Bob will be back to normal. Normal? Scary thought, isn’t it? Ha. And we’ll probably have learned even more lessons. Thank you for your love, prayers and for caring.