Have you ever come up to Christmas time and gotten sick and discouraged on
top of everything else? I have many times and I have so much to be thankful
for, too. Not many weeks ago, as you all well know, I ended up in the
hospital with this wonderful Colorado flue stuff and pneumonia as well. I
hate hospitals but not because sick people are there. I hate hospitals
because it stirs so much hurt and pain up in my emotions. I have had
surgery at least 15 times in my life and 14 of those were related to my
eyes. The other was the removal of my appendix when I was about seven.
Hospitals, by nature I suppose, bring fear in some ways but they also bring
life. As I lay in the hospital one evening, Sandy was there and we were
talking, an emergency call came over the intercom system throughout the
hospital. I asked Sandy what the message meant. She said a baby had a
heart attack in the maternity section of the hospital and that the code they
gave meant the baby had no heart beat. I wanted to cry but instead prayed
the little one would be safe. No doctor, no nurse, no one in the medical
field, can care for us like Jesus. Shortly after coming home from the
hospital, about three weeks ago, I felt pretty good for a week. Then I
started getting a stupid cold that everybody around me has. I am better
today but last night and Thursday, I felt horrible and my mood dropped to a
1 on a scale of 1 to ten. The last thing I wanted is to be sick again.
Like I said, I hate hospitals. I know some of you are going to be alone
during Christmas and I know many of you will be discouraged. I often get
discouraged after Christmas is over because it didn't last long enough. It
is the one time a year I can hear Christmas music in the stores and the one
time of year everyone talks about the same thing. We have men and women
overseas who will be discouraged they are away from their families right now
but I, for one, am super thankful for them and what they do. I especially
honor the dead who died in my place to protect my family from those who hate
us and want to kill us every time they get the chance. If you are alone
this Christmas season, you can call Sandy and I at any time, or email us,
and give us your phone number and we will call you right back. We will call
you every day, if that is what it takes. If I was rich with money, I'd pay
your way to come and spend Christmas with us but the phone is the best I can
offer this year.
Phil.
WWW.SafePlaceFellowship.COM
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