The best laid plans of mice and men...
...and all the rest of that stuff. The past couple of months have been a real trip. I did get an education, though. I got to learn what a "bilateral meniscal tear" means. Seems as we age, the cartilage in our knees gets weaker and less stable, and is more prone to injury. I managed to tear both the medial and lateral menisci (for those of you who just ADORE all the medical chatter and hypochondriacal mumbo-jumbo), as well as having made hamburger of the back of my kneecap over the years. And to add icing to the cake, this was my GOOD knee we are talking about.
Anyway, long story short - X-ray, Bledsoe Brace locked at 40 degrees, painkillers, MRI, blood tests, arthroscopic knee surgery, painkillers, Physical therapy, pain killers, stationary bike work for the rest of my life, Synvisc, pain killers - I'm all set! It's great to be 50!
Now I have a question to ask anyone who is still reading:
What is the burden of responsibility on any given individual for assuring that someone else's happiness is intact? If you are married? If you are a family member? If you are merely an acquaintance?
Now how about if that individual is mentally ill, whether gravely or high-functioning? Does it make a difference? What if you married them when you had no idea how deep their dysfunction went?
Thanks for visiting.
Anyway, long story short - X-ray, Bledsoe Brace locked at 40 degrees, painkillers, MRI, blood tests, arthroscopic knee surgery, painkillers, Physical therapy, pain killers, stationary bike work for the rest of my life, Synvisc, pain killers - I'm all set! It's great to be 50!
Now I have a question to ask anyone who is still reading:
What is the burden of responsibility on any given individual for assuring that someone else's happiness is intact? If you are married? If you are a family member? If you are merely an acquaintance?
Now how about if that individual is mentally ill, whether gravely or high-functioning? Does it make a difference? What if you married them when you had no idea how deep their dysfunction went?
Thanks for visiting.
posted by Kalanchoe542 at
6:43 PM
1 Comments:
kalanchoe,
I have browsing through your various blog entries the past few minutes. I think you know where I am coming from. I believe in God, Jesus, the Bible - all that jazz. I will attempt here to encourage you.
The Bible says, "Let no debt remain outstanding except the continual debt to love one another."
So, you ask,
"What is the burden of responsibility on any given individual for assuring that someone else's happiness is intact?"
We are all supposed to love one another as Christ loved us. He laid down his life for us; we ought to for one another.
Obviously, there are only 168 hours in a week and someone who is busy loving his wife and family can't assume responsibility to give undivided attention to those outside of his family. I think the best service we can offer the world is to set our affections first of all on God. Then, with our affections set on God, we ought to cherish our families. It is our privelege and duty and joy to love, honor, and cherish our families.
Of course, this is all very easy to say - when everything is going fairly easy for me. What we really need is not good advice. In fact, we don't need a "what." We need a "who." We need Jesus. We all fall short. We are all in debt to God and to one another. We can't pay off or debts. But He paid the price for us, so that we can have life abundant and eternal.
God doesn't want us to fulfill duty out of guilt. He wants us to delight ourselves in Him. But in reality, I know for myself, I don't delight myself in Him. I suppose I bring this up because the way you framed your question seems to indicate that you are consumed with duty and guilt - or that you are consumed with how much duty and guilt to heap on other people. Or maybe both. I don't know. I don't pretend to.
What I do know is that our sin is real. But more than that, our sin has been paid for. The truth is that we all deserve judgment. We have all sinned. And God is holy. He will not wink at sin - and suggest that it is okay. He demands holiness. And none of us can meet His demand. So, He sent His Son to die - the just for the unjust - that we can be justified by faith. Having been freely justified by His grace, we are set free. God empowers us to live a life that is pleasing to Him - but this is not done in our own strength. It is by His Spirit and His grace.
I pray God's blessing upon you.
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