About Half
“How are you today?” I asked. “About half,” he answers. “But every thing is beautiful! Ask him and he will tell you, if you insist upon asking him, that life is quite fragile. His days have been increased beyond doctors’ understanding. He will not take long to talk about what the doctor’s say. More than likely he will make a joke out of the last visit.
“What keeps you going?” I ask.
“I enjoy being out, and if I cannot help somebody then it is time to go,” he answers as easily as if his granddad had said: “Sally, we’ll have a good crop of corn this year.”
It does not matter that his hair is gray and that he must measure his pace. It may take longer to get there, but perseverance wins.
Travel with me a few miles over and visit another veteran of faith. He has just had major surgery. If you ask him how he is doing he will give you a calm recitation of the surgical procedure in minute detail. He wishes he could have been awake to watch and listen as they chipped and sawed, screwed and glued bone, and stitched him up.
I cringe in surrogate pain for him while his eyes twinkle with excitement for the logistics of the surgery. He has lived his life with nuts and bolts, pistons and rings, taking apart and repairing small engines. He loves details. Surgery is just another engine to be repaired.
No wimp. He soon will turn the conversation to ask about church. He will ask about others that are having difficult times. He will ask the person visiting how they are doing. He will talk about the blessing of the church…the joy of the Lord…his changed life since he met Christ.
On down the road we stop off at the home of a man who was given three months to live more than two years ago. Maybe the stuff is acting up again causing him pain that keeps him up most of the night.
He was in church today. Lot of effort. Listen and he will tell you that he would like to live. He would like to see his grandchildren grow up. He will tell you that in the last two years he has traveled several long trips and been blessed to share time with friends and family. With tears he will say: “It is not up to me. It is up to Him!”
Solomon observed that a lazy person will look out the window of home, shrug shoulders, and say: “The lazy person says, "There's a lion outside! I might get killed out in the street!" (Proverbs 22:13)
Heroes of faith make wimps look pitiful. Heroes fashioned after God’s heart do not spend their days getting out of work and responsibility. Heroes do not waste time arguing for a pity party while they have strength, compassion and love to touch the lives of others.
God’s heroes are not looking for fame and honor. They are looking for a place to serve. They ambition to offer their life as a helping hand. Real heroes go out believing that if there is a lion in the street they will be empowered by God to slay the lion. Real heroes do not take their pain out on others, but seek to serve to prevent others having pain.
Real heroes do not pursue earthly fortune. Real heroes pursue godliness and holiness. God may add earthly wealth to the blessing of heroes. However, heroes will declare that their greatest joy is not in material wealth, but friends – Relationships.
Even if you are only about half, have eight cylinders and only hitting on four, by faith be a hero for God and touch the lives of others.
Much love,
Pastor Bare