Healing Begins

Tomorrow is the day I finally have surgery on my shoulder. Overall, my shoulder feels fine—but when I lift something heavy or stretch it too far I can definitely feel the pain. To be honest, I'm excited. I'm looking forward to getting my shoulder finally repaired after having it dislocated the past two years. I'm looking forward to getting back in the gym and getting stronger everyday. During this time I have had to be patient and learn to trust God.

Through out the past two years I have doubted God when it came to my shoulder. I doubted his plans, his ways, his mercy, his power, and his love. When bad things are happening in life it's so easy to question and doubt. It's easy to be Christ follower when everything is going your way and your life has no problems. Anybody can do that. I learned that God doesn't only want praise when you're catching touchdowns—he wants praise when you're fumbling too.

Sometimes God doesn't give us what we want, but he always gives us what we need. I never wanted my shoulder to pop out three times during my junior and senior years of football. Some days I wonder where I would be and who I would be if my shoulder never popped. My injury changed me for the better. God has a plan. Maybe you never wanted to fail a test, or lose a friendship, a family member, or even your significant other. Those events happen, but God has a plan for every situation.

Maybe the pain you have in life isn't a physical pain, maybe you're hurting on the inside. Maybe you're having family issues, financial issues, you lost a loved one, you're feeling lonely, struggling with addiction, or maybe you just feel worthless. I've struggled with each and everyone of these. Give all your hurt and heartache to God. Stop holding on to it. Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. Trust in a god that heals the brokenhearted. If he can raise the dead he can fix your problems.

You truly don't want to heal if you can't kneel. When we kneel (pray) God answers. If your not praying to be healed I'm wondering if you truly want to be healed. If you're struggling over an issue pray about it. People like to talk about prayer but few do it. You would be amazed at how far a little prayer can go.

What blows me away is how God is healing us daily. His mercies are fresh every morning. He is actually healing us by his own wounds. Isaiah 53:5 states, "He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed."

Like I stated above, it's hard to trust God when the times get tough. I want to challenge you to not be afraid to put your unknown future in the hands of a known God. God works the most in our periods of struggle. When you trust in him and are patient with him he blesses that. Jeremiah 17:7 states, "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence."

God wants to heal you of all your pain. He wants your pain. Stop telling God how big your pain is and start telling your pain how big your God is. God is a shelter for the broken. He wants us to find rest in his plan and his word. Revelation 21:4 says "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and then there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these are gone forever." Until that day...

I would greatly appreciate your prayers over these next few weeks. I go in for surgery at 8:45 tomorrow morning. Please pray for a successful surgery and a fast recovery. I'll be in a sling for at least three weeks after my surgery tomorrow. It should be an interesting Christmas season this year! I should be writing quite a few posts over these next three weeks. I just want to say thank you for continually coming back and wasting your time reading my posts. I hope you have a wonderful time with friends and family over this holiday season. God Bless!