IN EVERYTHING give thanks… (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV)
I hurry into our bedroom. It’s 8:48 a.m., broad daylight. I need to grab a handkerchief from my dresser, then put on my shoes, to make my 9 a.m. appointment.
Between me and my dresser, my wife Lorraine’s six-foot long chaise lounge stretches into the center of the room. I round the end of the chaise lounge and catch the smallest toe of my right foot against its base.
Pain rips through me.
I hop in the air careful to land on my heels. Hobble across the room towards my green, soft chair. Plunk down. “In everything give thanks.” What a dreadful thought to enter my mind at this moment! I fondle my toe and feel my face grimace. This is killing me. It’s swelling. Father, help me accept this pain. Help me not call myself stupid. Thank you I did not fall.
Lorraine hears my groans and comes into the room. She knows I’m in pain. I tell her I slammed my toe into her immovable chaise. I can tell she feels what I feel.
– – –
This experience happened three months ago. My little toe fractured in two places and my doctor said little could be done except to let the natural healing take place. It’s healed now.
It may have been that these words, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you,” entered my mind because I was thinking about this devotional. I hope they came because “giving thanks in everything” has become a habit.
Today I give thanks for the built-in healing system that God has given each of us. I thank God for loved ones, like my wife Lorraine and Dr. Farnie, who helped me through my pain.
Golf, like most sports, can bring unexpected pain, even if it comes only from losing a premium golf ball right after you left the pro shop having purchased it. But making a habit of “giving thanks in everything” is a tool, ordained in heaven, to help us get through pain whether on or off the golf course.
Is there something, or someone, you may want to give thanks for at this moment? Then let this moment stand as the beginning of your daily habit. Thank God for what is right in front of you!
—
Jim Hiskey
September 18, 2014
Copyright 2014 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.