In his book, When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back Into the Box, John Ortberg writes about a professor at Vanderbilt University who developed Lou Gehrig's disease. This disease slowly takes away all use of your body while leaving your mind intact. Rather than giving up, this professor, Dr. David Rabin, found out about a computer that could be operated by a single switch. It could be operated by anyone, no matter how handicapped, who retained the function of one muscle group.
Ortberg writes, "David had enough strength in only one part of his body - his eyebrow muscle. And so for the next four years he used his eyebrow...He carried on a medical consulting practice, wrote papers, published a comprehensive textbook on endocrinology and received a prestigious award for his work."
Ortberg says the key question we should ask ourselves is never "What have I lost?" It is "What do I have left?" He goes on to say that "your body is not you. Your job is not you. Your success or reputation is not you. What your parents, spouse, peers, friends, or enemies think of you is not you."
The longer we live the more we are tempted to think about the the things we have lost. Whether our health has declined, loved ones have died, our success is not what we think it should be, we will all face loss. If we are a child of God, what we cannot lose is our salvation, our hope of heaven, the strength God gives us when we depend on Him, the grace that comes through Christ to serve others and forget about ourselves.
Thinking about what we have left leads to a grateful attitude. God's plan for us does not depend on what we have lost. If David Rabin could use one eyebrow to continue meaningful work, how much more can God use us to bless others with all the resources He gives us? We have the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus and the Holy Spirit intercede for us. Brothers and sisters in Christ encourage us. Plus we can walk and talk, unlike David Rabin.
So today, let's ask ourselves, "What do I have left?" Specifically, "What do I have left to serve the Lord and bless other people? How can I use the gifts and talents God has given me for His glory?" Focusing on what we have left diminishes the pain and sorrow of what we have lost. Someday that pain and sorrow will all go away.
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
See you next week!
