Pain Can't Hold Me Down

11-30-14

For the past week I’ve been away spending time with my Grandma Nell.  She is 101 years old. Her mind is still sharp, she appreciates art, outdoor scenery, good conversation and loves to laugh.  She broke her hip a couple of years ago and the joint did not recover well so she can’t walk but she does stand and shuffle a bit between her wheelchair and various chairs, the bed and the bathroom. Moving to an assisted living home was a painful choice for such a self reliant woman. Grandpa has been gone for more than 30 years and until her hip injury she was still cooking, painting, and ran the church carpool for what she called “the little old ladies” - most of which were 20 years her junior.

Watching her this week deal with the need assistance for much of what she did was hard but watching her push through each task, doing as much as she could on her own, was inspiring. When I thought about this week’s “Left Over Manna” posting I remembered a note I left for myself back in 2010 from a TV show called, “Parenthood”.  The line from the show was this: “Don’t let pain dictate how you behave”. 

So many times we stop in the midst of action because of pain; physical or emotional. Many more times we don’t even start because of the fear of pain. With each move Grandma could have fallen or could have had pain in her hip, her back or her feet.  She could have also found she couldn’t do the task for herself and have to face the emotional pain of  decreasing abilities. Somehow she found the strength to try each time. Even if the time before she couldn’t do something, when it came time to do it again, she tried; sometimes suceeding.

Being over a 100 years old gives her every right to just sit there and let the world give back to her.  She won’t have any of that.  If she can try, she will try.  It makes me think… How many excuses do I make every day? A LOT!!  But now I have a picture of a woman giving it her all in every moment to spite her limitations and I will strive to be like this strong lady whom I love.  

**Lord, remind me of the strength I have in you whenever I encounter pain of the heart or pain in my body. Remind me also that you will never leave me. As I go through life, and sometimes feel frail, send your angels to stand by my side to support me.  As I walk through each day and face difficulties, please send your Holy Spirit to heal my heart and mind.  Forgive me for the times I made excuses and gave into laziness or fear.  I love you and stand on your promises.**

 “ We do not want you to become lazy, but instead imitate those, who through faith and patience, inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:12 New International Version (NIV)

Click here for a link to one of my Grandma’s favorite hymns that her Grandma James sang to her.    I think, when I read that sweet story of old