Another sunrise; yet today appears to follow the path of the hundred, actually many more, days before. Lyme, still very present, dictates what his body will do.  Seeing the sun is a treasure. Gazing at his beautiful wife, children, nothing less than a gift, a miracle. A long time friend with a long time physical fight!

This Easter season did not reflect the chaos of planning, shaping and rehearsing as in years past.  That didn’t stop his desire.  His intent, his longing, was to engage in worship of his Christ, his Savior in spite of what his handicapped body would say.

His wife shares, “after many months, again, of Paul not being able to sustain a worship service…he struggled to come once again (on Easter weekend.)  Friday he had planned to come…couldn’t rally out of bed. Saturday the same. Sunday…the very last service…he was able to sit thru, worship only. I wish you all could have soaked in my view. I would have taken a quick picture if it wouldn’t have interrupted a holy moment for him.

My own son, my treasure, handicapped by his mind, strives to “keep up, make do.”  My friend Paul’s is physical, sometimes mental, often emotional!  My son”s is mental, sometimes emotional!  Handicapped by definition!

Determined not to settle, my mind stews, it hashes and forges thoughts.  Handicapped?

ONLY IN PART! 

The significant portion of our being can be free from any disease, ailment or affliction!  The soul does not have to be bound, hampered, impeded or impaired. The soul, confined only by our own hold of our past baggage, deprived only by lack of encounter with the Creator, our Healer, is free to live, be healed and renewed. 

We pray God heals what’s not in our control, but one thing that my son can control, Paul can control in the midst of Lyme, any of us can control is our soul!

The greatest restrictions, burdens, wounds, handicaps can weight us down but we still have opportunity to be more healthy and vibrant than others simply because God will always respond to an appeal for renewing and healing and making whole the soul that connects us to Him!  That’s eternal.