Fifteen Things God Won't Ask

I have been asked to give the invocation in San Diego next week on July 3rd. I will be attending the National Education Association(NEA) Representative Assembly(RA)...or as my friend Steve calls it "The Mega Union Meeting." I am a member of the AEA (Alabama Education Association) and we are not a union. We do not belong to the AFL-CIO. We ARE a large organization that is very concerned with protecting the rights of teachers and students. So since you guys are a captive, sort of, audience I thought I would try the two I am thinking about using out on you. This is Friday's post and I will post the other on Saturday. Please comment so I can make up my mind. I need help. I want to be profound and make a powerful statement. I have never been asked to do this before...and to be honest I am nervous about it! Wish me luck. The two that I have chosen are both anonymous. No one seems to know where they came from. What a shame because they are both great!

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.

God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.

God won’t ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed.

God won’t ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life.

God won’t ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary.

God won’t ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.

God won’t ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others.

God won’t ask what your job title was, but will ask if you reformed your job to the best of your ability.

God won’t ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others.

God won’t ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.

God won’t ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character.

God won’t ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many times they didn’t.

A Kat Tale 3

...We arrived at our designated time and Kathryn had taken her medication thirty minutes earlier. I didn't want her falling asleep in the car, or in the waiting room. I wouldn't have to worry because the medication would barely deaden the pain of what was to occur. The therapist led us into a curtain drawn room and had Kathryn slip into a hospital gown before slipping into the whirlpool. The whirlpool was barely warm, but the water stung Kathryn's legs as it aggitated around the wounds. Just as Kathryn was adjusting to the aggitating water, the therapist came in and began the debriedment process. Gently, Rona took a sterile bandage and began to remove the blistered skin and the burn ointment remnants. It was agonizing for Kathryn, and for me, as I held her and listened to her scream and cry. Once Rona had removed all of the loose skin she carefully dried Kathryn's legs and dressed the wounds. Exercise was important, but could not be too strenuous. Riding a bicycle for two minutes was the course of action recommended by the therapist. The days that followed were all filled with the same schedule: we woke; we waited to go to therapy; we drove to therapy; we had therapy; we picked up Kathryn's best friend, Jill, after therapy; we ate lunch at Burger King or McDonalds; we went home; we recouperated from the ordeal. Each day the therapist would undress the legs, check the burns carefully, debried during the whirlpool bath, redress, and send us home. The days became weeks and the schedule became a way of life. Our whole summer was centered around therapy and the avoidance of sunlight. Wal-Mart became our refuge. It was one of the few places that Kathryn could walk around and not get too tired.

After many days of whirlpool therapy, the head therapist checked the legs and decided that special stockings would be required to keep down the building of scar tissue. We would have to come back the next week to be measured because a special measuring kit was required. I hit my knees one more time and talked with the God who had become my best friend during this stressful time. Whatever His will was to be concerning the stockings would be alright with me, but I needed to make sure exactly what His will was.

The next week we returned and the therapist assistant was amazed at the marked difference in Kathryn's legs. There was very little raised scaring at all, even where the discoloration was most evident. She ran her hands over the legs again and again with amazement at the miracle she was experiencing. Kathryn and I winked at each other because we knew where this miracle came from. Too many prayers had been going up on her behalf for them to go unheard. Rona, the assistant, called the head therapist back from lunch to see the legs. Dr. Harrow was paged within the hospital to come and see the legs. Everyone was checking the legs and marveling at the improvement. Dr. Harrow was so impressed that he released us from therapy and decided that he wanted only to see us once more before school started. With this joyous news we walked happily out of the Physical Therapy Dept. and headed straight to Wal-Mart to share our good news with the employees who had come to be our friends during this ordeal.

August 15th, Kathryn and I sat in Dr. Harrow's office for our last visit. He carefully examined her legs. His gentile hands brushed over the discolored areas in amazement. "I expected her to heal, " he said, "but never this rapidly." We told him that we expected no less because God answers prayers and Kathryn is a personal witness to this fact. Our God is an Awesome God!