Every life is full of ups and downs
I’ve mentioned, before, how I worked hard labor during my teenage summers. No, not in prison. How could you even think that? And I’m looking at YOU when I ask that. You know who you are. Anyway…I hauled hay. In the hot, Kansas sun. Up to 18 hours for five, six, and sometimes seven days a week. It kept me slim and made me strong. But what does that have to do with life’s ups and downs?
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As strong as I became, I wasn’t immune to life’s ups and downs.
Continuing on to my 20’s, 30’s, and even into my 40’s I was quite the physical specimen. If I do say so myself, and apparently I just did. Matter of fact, my wife can attest how I used to haul my upright piano around by myself. She’s too small to help when it came to lifting it up into the truck. And anytime we moved (which was a lot) it was nothing for me to carry couches and stuffed chairs by myself.
So, I bragged on myself and shared those “ups” with you to illustrate a point. In my late 30’s I started feeling like my neck was always out of joint, so to speak. I’d go to chiropractors for adjustments. But nothing seemed to help. This went on for a few years. And occasionally I’d pick up something heavy, and my whole back would just seize up on me.
Then, one day in my mid 40’s, after experiencing a numb tingling in my right hand for a while, I decided to go to another doctor. And he sent me to have a CT-scan. And the scan discovered a tumor on my spinal cord. Our primary doctor referred me to a specialist surgeon in Denver, and Elgielene and I went to see him.
After looking at the CT-scan, the specialist surgeon told us we needed to “get your house in order.” He said my choices were to have the operation to remove the tumor, or total paralysis, or death. And those were some attention-getting words.
Elgielene and I left his office not saying anything. And when we got in our van, she looked over at me and said, “Well, can you believe that just happened?” And we laughed…a little. Maybe out of nervousness. But we began taking some things one step at a time.
That was one of life’s downs.
Instead of boring you with all the operation and recovery details, I’ll just say this. I’ve lived a bunch of years since then. And that’s one of life’s ups. More years to be with my beautiful wife. And more time to experience this gift of life from God.
My story is just one of millions of similar stories. But the sad news…the news I know is so much more depressing…is how many people go through similar things with no connection to God. They already don’t have hope of eternal life. And then they find out a lot of hope is swept out from under them in this temporal life, too.
I can’t imagine (and I don’t want to imagine) not having the hope of eternal life.
My hope for you, today, is that you already have that hope. And if not, I hope you’ll latch onto it sooner rather than later. If the current events don’t show you what a vapor this life is, I hate to think what it would take.
Give yourself a break you’ll never regret.
And do it today before you forget.
God can give you ups and cover your downs.
Give up your burdens. Replace them with crowns.
Stay tuned,
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Author, Podcaster, Poet, Singer-Songwriter, Voice Talen. In each article and each episode of the FunderCast, Tony Funderburk shares his focus on Faith, Hope, and Love. Tony's the author and publisher of 34 books (and counting) for adults and kids, thousands of articles, and a songwriter with hundreds of songs to his credit. Get some free songs, a book for kids, and more, when you subscribe to The FunderFlash Journal today. TonyFunderburk.com