Prescription strength Mary

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  Matthew 5:9 NIV

Two weeks ago I had a knee replaced.  I injured it in 1982, my senior year in high school.  Back in those days cartilage was not repaired, it was removed.  So, I have had a bone on bone joint for 40 years, which makes me sound really old.  My doctor told me it was one of the worst knees he has seen, which means absolutely nothing, but it made me feel like less of a punk about the pain. 

I came home fully aware that I would still have pain.  I was told to expect 4 to 6 weeks of rehab but figured it could not be a whole lot worse than the pain I was having prior to surgery.  I was wrong, but I’ll get back to that. 

I woke up after my first night back at home and was really looking forward to sitting down to a cup of coffee and conversation with my wife.  It didn’t take long for her to ask if I remembered what I had done overnight.  I thought I had slept through the night, I felt rested.  She then asked if I remembered getting up to take a shower.  Nope.  Apparently, I got up, took a shower and was getting ready to go to work.  Mind you this happened at 2:00 am.  It also happened without crutches, which was not even remotely possible while I was awake at that point. 

As an added bonus, I was apparently focused on safety during this, I had actually unpacked and assembled a portable handrail we had purchased.  I have no memory of any of it.  But when she asked me what I was doing I just told her I was getting ready for work.  She redirected me back to bed and I went back to sleep, or just laid me back down, since I was already asleep.

Back to the pain discussion.  My worst day was actually a week later on day nine.  My wife kept tabs on the medicine to make sure we kept up with the pain as much as possible.  So I was medicated but that day it was not helping.  The night prior had been rough and it got worse throughout the day. 

One problem with any surgery is the lack of options during recovery.  I could not just go for a walk or for a drive.  The only option I had was sitting in the middle of the place I most frequently find peace, my house.  I had also found a selfish thing to look forward to, my wife.  We had discussed having a few weeks of no work, no schedule, no interruptions.  Mary has a gift of taking care of people.  I knew I had a few weeks of being the patient and I was honestly looking forward to being even more spoiled than normal. 

Unfortunately, it did not work that day.  That whole “rate your pain” thing the doctor always asks you, full blown ten.  I have had literally dozens of kidney stones and I would have traded any of them that day.  Multiple prescription pain medicines were not helping.  My mind was anxious and I could not calm it down.  I was swimming in my own pool of pain and anxiety.  My mind was not in a good space.  It was a very long day. 

I spent a good deal of time that day asking for God to break it.  I don’t think He left me that day, I just feel like His idea of medicine was different than mine.  I also was reminded that I have no idea what people are going through on a given day.  I did not look all that different one day before or a day after. 

Except to my wife.  That gift she has, it was fully engaged.  She didn’t try to solve it.  She didn’t really “do” anything that I noticed.  My focus was inward that day.  She just put herself in the chair next to me and fought the battle she could see with the peace that I could not. 

On your worst days, what do you turn to?

On your best days, who is turning to you?

Challenge:  There is no physical answer to every pain or problem.  Everyone has hard things.  People use all kinds of assumed cures to medicate pain.  Fortunately, Jesus doesn’t leave the picture.  It’s just that sometimes He uses the person next to you to deliver His medicine. 

Rick Claiborn