Old age gets evermore undignified. We were headed for Sunday service when a little pain started deep in my chest. At first, it just felt like indigestion so I said nothing. After a few minutes, the pain deepened and a minute or two after that, it ran up my throat until it felt like someone had a hand around my neck. Okay, I thought. This is not indigestion. At that point, Keith figured out something was wrong and he said, "At least church and the hospital are in the same direction." The pain began to fade after 10-12 minutes until it was completely gone, but the next morning I called my primary care doctor "just in case." He had me in his office the next day giving what seemed like a pint of blood. The next day I heard from a cardiologist and the next I was in his office. "I think you need to go to the ER," he said after I told my story, and after a little thought and more advice, that's where we went. Before the day was over, I was admitted.
People came in the room every 15 minutes wanting something or other, usually involving more blood. I wound up with bandages on my right hand, plus the crooks of both arms. Each arm had an IV with four empty ampules, another "just in case." When I held up my arms, it was like I had an udder hanging from each one. During one "visit" I stained half of a towel bright red that ran all over the pillowcase it was supposed to be protecting and soaked the pillow beneath. I also had leads all over my chest and eventually had to have a nurse help me change into the hospital gown. I simply couldn't get through the spider web of lines to pull anything over my head without hanging myself. Even she finally yanked off the leads so I could undress, and then carefully put them back on. After 2 days full of tests I made it home late the second night because a very sweet nurse took a liking to us and stayed an hour and a half after her shift ended to get us home.
The result of all this? Are you old enough to remember all those old black and white movies that came on after the late news? The ones where the patriarch of the wealthy family has a heart condition and must keep a vial of little pills handy in case he has a heart attack? And as soon as you see that scene, you know that sooner or later, someone will upset the old man on purpose and when the chest pains start and he reaches for his little pills the bad guy will keep him from getting to them and he will die of "natural causes?" But true to the continuing cliché, some great detective will figure it out and the murderer will be caught after all? You know those movies? Surely that is out of date by decades, I thought. But not so. I am now a walking cliché with my vial of little pills next to me all the time. At least we have no murderers in the family, but these little pills are nitroglycerin and after I take three, if they do not work, we are to call 911. Does that mean if an EMT has to start CPR we will all blow up? Clearly I have seen too many old movies.
Despite my flippancy, this did sober us up for a few days. How likely is this to happen again? Well, they did give me those pills. But the answer seems to be somewhere between maybe and probably. So we will take precautions. A little scare never hurt anyone did it?
And to be honest, it isn't the first scare we have had. An automobile accident that could have been a lot worse, an illness that could have been fatal or at least debilitating, a violent crime that could have left me a very young widow. I am certain that everyone has had moments like these, incidents that reminded you of your mortality and how easily things could have gone horribly wrong. Here is the question for today: what have we done with those reminders?
God has always sent reminders to his people and they have almost always refused to pay attention. And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places; yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. And I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet have you have not returned unto me, says Jehovah. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees has the palmer-worm devoured: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I have made the stench of your camp to come up even into your nostrils: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. I have overthrown [cities] among you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. Amos 4:6-11. If you are familiar with the prophets, you know that is only one of many places where God castigates his heedless and faithless people.
So is every bad thing that happens a warning of impending destruction, an ultimatum ending in "or else?" Not always. Despite what we may want to believe, despite what some religious people preach, God never promised us a life of ease. We live in a cursed world where sin and death will seem like they are the winners, where we may well be persecuted for doing right, and where the curse upon the earth makes itself known again and again. So no, not every bad thing that happens is a warning or a punishment. Job teaches us that if nothing else. But we would be foolish to ignore those things, to laugh them off as if they mean nothing. The one thing we can do when these scares occur in our lives, whether big or little, is to remind ourselves that we never know when God will call us, we never know what day will be our last, and we should always be prepared, serving God and his people, doing good works, and shining our lights into a dark world.
So I have been reminded. Maybe now I am more ready than ever before. How about you?
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: for you are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober 1Thess 5:1-6.
Dene Ward
People came in the room every 15 minutes wanting something or other, usually involving more blood. I wound up with bandages on my right hand, plus the crooks of both arms. Each arm had an IV with four empty ampules, another "just in case." When I held up my arms, it was like I had an udder hanging from each one. During one "visit" I stained half of a towel bright red that ran all over the pillowcase it was supposed to be protecting and soaked the pillow beneath. I also had leads all over my chest and eventually had to have a nurse help me change into the hospital gown. I simply couldn't get through the spider web of lines to pull anything over my head without hanging myself. Even she finally yanked off the leads so I could undress, and then carefully put them back on. After 2 days full of tests I made it home late the second night because a very sweet nurse took a liking to us and stayed an hour and a half after her shift ended to get us home.
The result of all this? Are you old enough to remember all those old black and white movies that came on after the late news? The ones where the patriarch of the wealthy family has a heart condition and must keep a vial of little pills handy in case he has a heart attack? And as soon as you see that scene, you know that sooner or later, someone will upset the old man on purpose and when the chest pains start and he reaches for his little pills the bad guy will keep him from getting to them and he will die of "natural causes?" But true to the continuing cliché, some great detective will figure it out and the murderer will be caught after all? You know those movies? Surely that is out of date by decades, I thought. But not so. I am now a walking cliché with my vial of little pills next to me all the time. At least we have no murderers in the family, but these little pills are nitroglycerin and after I take three, if they do not work, we are to call 911. Does that mean if an EMT has to start CPR we will all blow up? Clearly I have seen too many old movies.
Despite my flippancy, this did sober us up for a few days. How likely is this to happen again? Well, they did give me those pills. But the answer seems to be somewhere between maybe and probably. So we will take precautions. A little scare never hurt anyone did it?
And to be honest, it isn't the first scare we have had. An automobile accident that could have been a lot worse, an illness that could have been fatal or at least debilitating, a violent crime that could have left me a very young widow. I am certain that everyone has had moments like these, incidents that reminded you of your mortality and how easily things could have gone horribly wrong. Here is the question for today: what have we done with those reminders?
God has always sent reminders to his people and they have almost always refused to pay attention. And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places; yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. And I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet have you have not returned unto me, says Jehovah. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees has the palmer-worm devoured: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I have made the stench of your camp to come up even into your nostrils: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. I have overthrown [cities] among you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. Amos 4:6-11. If you are familiar with the prophets, you know that is only one of many places where God castigates his heedless and faithless people.
So is every bad thing that happens a warning of impending destruction, an ultimatum ending in "or else?" Not always. Despite what we may want to believe, despite what some religious people preach, God never promised us a life of ease. We live in a cursed world where sin and death will seem like they are the winners, where we may well be persecuted for doing right, and where the curse upon the earth makes itself known again and again. So no, not every bad thing that happens is a warning or a punishment. Job teaches us that if nothing else. But we would be foolish to ignore those things, to laugh them off as if they mean nothing. The one thing we can do when these scares occur in our lives, whether big or little, is to remind ourselves that we never know when God will call us, we never know what day will be our last, and we should always be prepared, serving God and his people, doing good works, and shining our lights into a dark world.
So I have been reminded. Maybe now I am more ready than ever before. How about you?
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: for you are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober 1Thess 5:1-6.
Dene Ward
Comments