“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
The noise of a chainsaw interrupted my morning cup of coffee. Standing to my feet, I walked to my living room window and looked outside. Two men were busy trimming a tree across the street in my neighbor’s yard. After a few minutes, I returned to my waiting soy latte.
Later that morning, I went to investigate how the trimming was coming along. “Oh no!” my thoughts screamed. “It is gone!” Standing in shock, I looked out to the empty place where my favorite tree once stood. Grief entered my heart. Gone was the hope of ever hearing the soft rustling sound of the silvery green leaves gently blowing in the wind.
Feeling the breeze while hearing the sweet song of the Cottonwood leaves had always reminded me of sitting on a warm beach while listening to the sounds of a gentle ocean. My body had relaxed so many times while enjoying this melodic tree. Now it was gone, never to return.
My health had been like this Cottonwood tree, suddenly disappearing as if it had never existed. Gone was my faithful constant companion–the one I took for granted. Somehow, I thought it would always just remain with me.
Emotional and physical pain took the place of good health, and soon I realized how I was never in control of my health leaving. Soon, frustrated anger robbed me of joy. Identifying this robber, I determined to let go of negative thinking, releasing the “why me” of suffering, and instead looking for blessings in my life.
Forcing my mind to thankfully appreciate was not easy at first. It was unnatural for my negative attitude to be surrounded by a thankful heart, yet soon my mind started remembering activities which I had enjoyed while living in a healthy body. I started seeing those times as gifts from God instead of what I lost.
Truthfully, God does not owe me perfect health, as it is a gift from His hand. I had the ability to live a freer physical life for many years due to excellent health. Through remembering this, I have found an understanding of health as a gift, along with a new attitude of gratitude.
Prayer: Thank you for each day, as it is a gift of Your hand. Strengthen me daily, so I can walk in thankfulness despite what the day or my body brings.
About the Author:
Cindy Pocapalia lives in with her husband and two children in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. She loves her family, friends, and Jesus. Also, she delights in seeing how God works in and through her life and the lives of her believing friends. The desire of her heart is to bring His encouragement, hope, and truth to others.
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What things have you found through physical or emotional suffering, and how have you been helped by these revelations?
Thank you, thank you for this wonderful devotion! On JUST the day I needed to be reminded of it most. I just returned from a ‘working vacation’ with my husband, (meaning he worked, I vacationed:), along the northern shores of Lake Superior in MN. The weather was perfect and the fall colors were nearly at their peak. These little jaunts are lifesaver’s for me, but are also very taxing-(you all know what I mean). As I’ve become more and more isolated by pain, my emotional/spiritual health suffer too. Today, whilst attempting to do the un-packing, the physical toll has set in full force. It’s just noon here, and I’m exhausted. I sat down to catch-up on e-mail, something I can do sitting down, resting my body before the next wave of painful, physical activity, and I open my e-mail to find this gem of a devotion! God is SO good, sending me a balm, before I even knew I’d need one. Thanks for letting Him work through you with a gentle reminder of how very blessed I am! HUGS~TK
Cindy, I appreciated reading your thoughts. I, too once had a gorgeous tree – for me it was an evergreen tree – that was right up beside the apartment complex where I live. Its boughs swept across my dining room window but not completely. Living on the third floor ( top floor ) of my complex, it gave me privacy and comfort throughout all the seasons – soothing . One summer, I was able to travel and was gone a while. When I returned home – it was gone. My dining room seemed bare – it was bare! It took some adjusting.
You bring a good analogy of our lives. We wake up one morning and our health is banished in some area or areas and we had no warning. I agree with your main message here. We truly do need to be grateful for each day – find as many things in the day we can recognize as blessings. Like you, I enjoy looking back on the times when I could be more active. I appreciated them at the time but not as much as I do now that my ability to participate in these wasy is gone. I sometimes take mini-vacations and feel the joy of them again – and am grateful.
Thanks for sharing!
Lynn
Hi Cindy!
Your tree illustration really was timely for me because we watched two of our four poplars lining our driveway come down this morning. They’d been badly decimated during a terrible storm in July and this was necessary for safety reasons. I always hate to see a tree go, especially living in the Canadian prairies like we do.
In the fall, every other year we’ve been here, our gorgeous trees made the most beautiful focal point for several blocks.
“I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree.” I was reminded of this poem a few days ago as I sat on our deck and enjoyed a couple of evergreens viewed from there.
Is there any physical gift as much of a blessing to us as health? Although, as you stated, sometimes it’s really hard to do, I also try to be grateful for my blessings, which are many. I am still able to walk and do a lot of physical activities with very little pain. My frustrations are more mental as I cannot be given medication for my ADD.
But I really wouldn’t have had it any other way, if I had a choice. God has taught me so much through this and other medical challenges. Compassion for others as well as other precious character traits. Although I still have far to go, I know God has been working in and through my life, and for this I am so thankful. God has been so very faithful.
Thanks for this Cindy.
I appreciated your devotional, Cindy. Thank you for sharing. I liked your perspective that health is a gift from God. I think sometimes health problems are also a gift as they can draw us closer to Him.