Are You Thankful on the 4th of July?
Happy Independence Day, CLC!
I suppose the title is a little misleading, because even though every American should be grateful for our liberty and blessings in this country, that's NOT what's on my mind this morning.
You see, I just returned from a trip to Loyola Hospital to visit our brother/member/trustee, Venu Menon. Most of you know that Venu was in a horrible auto accident a couple of months ago that resulted in several internal injuries and the amputation of his left leg above the knee. He has been in ICU since May 1, and only recently regained consciousness. He has developed infections several times while being hospitalized and is still dependent on hospital staff for virtually all of his needs.
Yet today as I talked with him, every sentence was punctuated with "thank you, Jesus"! Those of us who know and love Venu know that this is nothing new; he's always had such a joyful spirit and constantly gives praise the Lord who delivered him from many years of idolatry and filled him with the Holy Spirit. But today I was moved to tears to see such an attitude of gratitude in the midst of his present circumstances.
I want to be like Venu when I grow up! How often do I grumble and complain about the slightest inconvenience or frustration of the day. Yet here's a man whose life was almost taken in a moment on the road - whom even the doctors are acknowledging is a miracle that he has survived that crash - and despite everything that's happened to him, he's still praising the Lord. He even smiles! (In fact, one of his doctors told the family, "I like coming here to see him, because of that big smile he always gives me!")
How 'bout you? Do you have any stories to share of friends or family members who maintained their joy in the midst of difficult circumstances? Have you 'kept your praise on' through dark times? It would bless me and others to hear your story - so add your comment today. And together, let's ALL be thankful on the 4th of July!
I suppose the title is a little misleading, because even though every American should be grateful for our liberty and blessings in this country, that's NOT what's on my mind this morning.
You see, I just returned from a trip to Loyola Hospital to visit our brother/member/trustee, Venu Menon. Most of you know that Venu was in a horrible auto accident a couple of months ago that resulted in several internal injuries and the amputation of his left leg above the knee. He has been in ICU since May 1, and only recently regained consciousness. He has developed infections several times while being hospitalized and is still dependent on hospital staff for virtually all of his needs.
Yet today as I talked with him, every sentence was punctuated with "thank you, Jesus"! Those of us who know and love Venu know that this is nothing new; he's always had such a joyful spirit and constantly gives praise the Lord who delivered him from many years of idolatry and filled him with the Holy Spirit. But today I was moved to tears to see such an attitude of gratitude in the midst of his present circumstances.
I want to be like Venu when I grow up! How often do I grumble and complain about the slightest inconvenience or frustration of the day. Yet here's a man whose life was almost taken in a moment on the road - whom even the doctors are acknowledging is a miracle that he has survived that crash - and despite everything that's happened to him, he's still praising the Lord. He even smiles! (In fact, one of his doctors told the family, "I like coming here to see him, because of that big smile he always gives me!")
How 'bout you? Do you have any stories to share of friends or family members who maintained their joy in the midst of difficult circumstances? Have you 'kept your praise on' through dark times? It would bless me and others to hear your story - so add your comment today. And together, let's ALL be thankful on the 4th of July!
posted by Pastor Jerry McQuay at 11:08 AM
1 Comments:
Faith does move mountains! In 2003 I had a stroke. It was diagnosed as a Cerebral Hemorrage. When I went to Hines hospital they immediately took steps to locate and diagnose me. I could not speak and had a severe slur and I could not read with comprehension. I actually, could not get past the first Word and my brain wouldn't move past that point. The right side of my face was numb and I knew I was in trouble. I had no symptoms of any kind. When the doctor came into the ER Holding room after a CT scan, his words were, "I am afraid I have some bad news!" My husband and I were overwhelmed with fear at first, then SUDDENLY, we realized that the devil was trespassing and we stood up and began declaring what God had to say according to His WORDS! The hospital staff were kind and supportive but would not believe that I am already healed because God says so! I was fighting for my life and the last thing I wanted was ANYONE to come in and feel sorry for me. SO I made people leave the room if they could not believe the way I did. If they spoke negative doomsday stuff, I asked them to leave because I believe I am healed even though I did not look like it or sound like it. David was supposed to preach that Sunday and I wanted to be there to support him. The doctors said that probably was not going to happen. I kept SPEAKING what God says, even though it was slurred and mixed up, in my heart it was so! God gave me favor and they released me on the fourth day with the promise that I would return for further treatment. I agreed and they signed the papers. A Pastor from a church that we served in said that if I could have left my room, I probably would have gotten other people healed and saved! We laughed! Sunday David preached and he wanted me to sing a song. I was still slurring in the natural, but when I opened my mouth to worship God, the people heard clearly! A healing anointing filled the room after that and God was truly present that day. For those of you who know me today know HOW WELL I CAN SPEAK!!!LOL The devil just doesn't realize who he is messing with. God is very real to me. It is too late to change the way I am. He is everything to me!
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