Make it Count!

It is amazing how much God speaks to me through my conversations with others. Recently I was having a conversation with a friend who has recently come through some very challenging health situations. This health situation was so severe that should it have gone undetected, he would have died suddenly without warning. Fortunately, he had some minor symptoms and upon investigation the problem was detected, corrected, and removed. Sounds simple huh? Well there were major surgeries, months of rehab and countless changes in lifestyle required to make this healing occur over the course of the last 6 months. All the while this person was off of work and out of commission in his home, many many people picked up the extra work and attended to his needs so he could focus solely on recovery. Suffice it to say it was like a ripple effect. Even my wife, kids and friends sacrificed something for this man because I chose to put in extra hours at work to cover the load of his absence.

Now he is back at work. For all purposes no one would know any different - by observing him - you may assume he doesn't even know any difference. Same attitude, same work performance, but shy a few inches from his waistline. Yet I fear lack of discipline will be this persons demise. You see, the doctors have ordered a strict diet and exercise change to make the healing last. Yet it is disconcerting to me to see that he continues in his old ways eating the same foods and acting in such a way that nothing ever happened. As I watched him eat, I jokingly chided him about what he was consuming. Then I realized I was more than joking... I was downright upset. But why was I upset? As I analyzed it I realized I was upset because I felt cheated. I personally sacrificed for his recovery. Even my family - indirectly - sacrificed for his recovery. The Doctors, nurses and rehab workers all sacrificed immensely for his recovery. Not to mention his own wife, kids, family, and other friends... collectively 1000s of man-hours were spent directly and 1000s more spend indirectly to literally save and redeem this man's life from death's early grip. But he seems now not to care. Well, I suppose he cares. At least he says he does. He says the right words. He says "Thank You." And he tells us how reflective he is and how much this has changed his viewpoint of life. Yet words without action seem empty and useless. I mean if it hasn't changed his viewpoint enough that he's willing to alter his diet or exercise then he really hasn't gone through enough of a viewpoint change. At present state, none of the sacrifice really seems to matter.

I decided that I cared enough about this person that I must share my thoughts with him. I told him about my joking... and the honesty behind it. I shared with him the sense of violation I felt not to mention how is wife must feel when she sees his unaltered state of lifestyle choices. My parting words to him were this... "If you really cared about what people did for you while you were laid up and recovering, don't just tell us... show us. Make it count by changing your behaviors."

As I heard myself say these words it was as if the Holy Spirit descended upon me, took control of my mouth, and opened the ears of my heart. He was saying to me... "don't just tell me you're thankful for my Son's sacrifice... show me. Make it count by changing your behaviors." Needless to say, I've been wrestling with the Spirit the last few days trying to Make it Count... by changing my behaviors to show HIM I'm eternally grateful!

God bless my friends... please pray for my friend as well that in this temporal world, he will make the choices necessary to show the others he is thankful for their sacrifice.