Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. It already feels more like Spring than winter with the warmer temperatures and sunny afternoons. The daffodils are blooming in our backyard and the days are growing longer.
Spring is a hopeful time. It brings new life to a dormant world and allows us to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. Spring heals the scars of winter wounds and restores what has been consumed.
Slow Growth
My mentor has told me several times over the last few months that I will see real healing and restoration with the coming of Spring and the first flowers of the season. My pastor has echoed this in his prayers and encouragement to me. I think—I hope—they are right.
I have been improving a little each week. I’m recovered from our trip to Texas. My eyes are steadily improving, as are my kidneys. My blood pressure is much lower since I started taking medication, though still a little high.
Make no mistake: I have a long way to go. I plan to start physical therapy soon to rebuild my body. I’ve lost about 40 lbs. since I first got sick, twenty of those since Thanksgiving. The combination of hospital stays and steroids have eaten away at my muscle mass and left me looking like a bald waif. My short-term goals for rehab are to be able to climb the stairs without being out of breath and be strong enough to pick up my daughter again. I am worse than “Scrawny Arms Rob Lowe” on the DirectTV commercials.
I’m also still dependent on regular platelet and blood infusions. As my body continues to recover from this hurricane, my marrow will start working correctly again, rebuilding my immune system and giving me more energy.
Looking in the Right Place
Everyone is looking for hope, as Alexander Pope writes in An Essay on Man. We hope in others. We hope in ourselves. We hope in a higher power or circumstances or fate.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never is, but always to be blessed: The soul, uneasy and confined from home,Rests and expatiates in a life to come. Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man1
I am hopeful for many reasons. I have good doctors. My test results lately have been good. I generally feel okay most days.
The source of my hope, of course, doesn’t lie with physicians or lab results or my mood. My hope lies in Jesus, my Healer and Deliverer. Often it’s hard to believe that when we are in the midst of our pain. Or, although we believe, it isn’t always comforting.
But it’s always true. Jesus is our hope. He is our very present help in times of trouble. My life is proof of that.
The redbuds will soon bloom and Resurrection Day is fast approaching, reminding us of the life He brought us when He overcame death. He is the hope of the entire world. Allow Him to bring new life to you.
And his name will be the hope of all the world. (Matthew 12:2 NLT)
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Springs_Eternal