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Topic: Satisfied (10/11/04)
TITLE: I'M CONTENT LIVING IN THE STATE OF IOWA By Cyndy McNaul-Nelson 10/16/04 |
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God concentrates on molding people into vessels that continuously pour out His love, producing fruit for His kingdom. You can take any kind of fruit and make several products from one batch. By straining crushed fruit, you get juice and jellies. The remaining skins and pulp can be spread on dehydrator shelves drying them into fruit leather. With apples, the skins of the tartest fruit can be used as pectin to thicken jellies. Even the seeds of the fruit can be used for other products, medicines, or replanted to produce more fruit. God does the same with the lives that surrender themselves into His masterful culinarian hands. His kingdom gains from the multiple mighty acts of faith that produces a number of souls for Him.
Tim and I married when we were in our mid to late thirties. He wanted to go through the lay ministry of a denomination to get his pastoral license. He quit his job to pursue the vision while we lived on my nursing wages. Our life style was simple, so my earnings were enough, until I received a debilitating back injury while on the job at a Veteran’s Administration Hospital during Desert Storm.
Within three days of the injury to my spine, I was paralyzed from the waist down. Kidneys and bowels shut down, as the pain intensified. My lower limbs, stump-like, dragged behind me whenever I maneuvered from room to room. Our beloved pastor visited regularly to anoint me with bottles of prayer oil that oozed down my face. His words of advice, “Cyndy, praise God in your worst of pains, never complain.”
I was rushed into emergency surgery the same week of the injury to remove the ruptured disc that continued to inch its way through the spinal canal to my neck, paralyzing me further. I could only move my head and right arm. The surgeon specialist stopped the gurney I was lying on before going into surgery. Shaking his head, he grimly stated, “I’m afraid, I can’t even give you a fifty-fifty chance of walking again.”
I nodded acknowledgement, closing my eyes. I only wanted the pain to stop and looked forward to the anesthesia to knock me out for a couple of hours. The doctors tried to prepare me for months of physical therapy and at least two weeks in the hospital post-op. Thankfully, God doesn’t stay within the percentages of statistics. Twelve hours after the surgery I was walking, bathing myself, and body functions returned to normal. I didn’t have the need for tubes to facilitate these functions. The doctors called it a miracle. It was satisfying to hear them acknowledge the event as such.
In the throes of pain and tears, it was difficult at first to remember to praise God, as our pastor counseled. I usually recollected his advice thirty minutes into the painful spasms of needles and pins sensations. Eventually, I learned to deal with the lingering severe pain with praise instead of complaints. The chronic pain took its toll on my health, as did the event of Tim falling off our roof. He broke his back and almost died. Three months later found me in intensive care with heart problems, mild stroke, and diabetes. I had a boatload of doctors and $1200 a month prescriptions with only $600 monthly income.
The Lord blessed us with Tim’s ability to walk. He dealt with the same levels of pain as I endured. Together we set up a strong regimen of praise and worship. We did less complaining and more praise. The praises carried us to each new miraculous moment of recovered health. Our doctors informed us that we were rare in our faith, as they had ever seen. My pill bill is down to $33.00 a month consisting of one heart medication and a mild pain med. (In faith believing, those too, will soon go!) Our income has tripled, which we use to work with “at risk” children.
Satisfied, you bet! We are living contentedly in the State of Iowa with the provisions that God furnishes, because His mercies are new each morning!