The Operation

One week ago today I had surgery on my shoulder. The operation went well. I had never had surgery before, so I have to admit I was a bit nervous. I was knocked out by the anesthesia so quickly I didn't know or feel a thing! Piece of cake! This next 6 week phase, after the surgery is the challenging part. My whole life changed in the moment that I was fixed by the surgeon. I woke up with this huge sling holding my arm still(my right arm, and I'm right handed)I was given strict instructions on what I can and cannot do, and they scheduled me for a regimen of physical therapy to begin the very next day. For the past week, I haven't written much, but have been doing a lot of thinking about what God is trying to show me through this experience. This morning something hit me. A parallel between surgery and salvation!

Here's how it goes. My shoulder was broken,hurt, and in need of surgery in order to save and restore it back to use. We are much like my shoulder. Before we met with the master surgeon, Jesus Christ, we were broken, unable to function at our fullest potential. Something was missing, a part of us was dead. I went to the surgeon to regain use of my right arm, he was my only hope. We go to Jesus to restore our lives, He is our only hope. I had to surrender my arm into my surgeons hand, trusting his knowledge and experience to fix it. We too must fully surrender our lives into the hands of Jesus, trusting Him to come into our hearts and change us. In a couple hours, the surgeon fixed my arm, in a moment Jesus saves our life. It doesn't end there though, now I have to follow the instructions given by my surgeon to make my arm work again as it should, I need to listen and obey his instruction, trusting that if I do, I will be restored back to physical health. It's the same with our salvation. We made the choice to accept Jesus in to our lives, but that's not the end of the story, it's really just the beginning! In order to achieve the optimal benefits of our salvation we need to submit to God's instruction. God's word is our physical therapy! As we follow and obey, we become stronger and are able to use our spiritual muscles more and more. it's an ongoing process. Just as I, little by little, regain use of my arm by following my therapist's direction, by following God's direction we are becoming the person God has originally intended us to be.

Lord, I thank You that we can come to you for full restoration of our lives, that we no longer have to live enslaved with sin to hold us down. I thank you for your free gift of grace, I thank you for the invitation to come to you just as we are and that you willingly perform life changing operations everyday! Help us to follow your post-op instructions, trusting You with the outcome. Knowing You work all things for the good for those who love you according to Your purposes. Help us to be good patients and living testimonies of Your healing restoring power. All glory to You Lord...Amen