As I Sit

Today is the third day of dealing with a bout of gout. Yes, you read that correctly. My right foot is swollen and it’s red and inflamed. I’ve been suffering with gout flare-up now for nearly two years. At first I had no idea what it was. Then I decided to go see a podiatrist who thought that I had broken my foot. Nope, it was gout. He gave me some strong medicine to take to decrease the flare-up and told me to watch what I eat. I’ve discovered that if I eat red meat that it causes a flareup. In other words, no beef! Well, whenever I get a migraine the only thing that satisfies my stomach during that time is a pound of ground beef. For some reason it settles my stomach. Not any more since my friend gout has arrived. BBQ? Well, brisket is out. Steaks? Are you kidding me? No B-E-E-F!

So I sit around with my feet sore. By the end of the day, and it matters not if I have a flare-up or not, my feet are just sore. Everyday they are sore. Now I know that I am complaining about this and the Bible tells me not to grumble or murmur. In fact, I really try not to complain about it anymore. I just get the old crutches out and use them to walk around the house and if I go to a grocery story I get to ride one of their buggies. This pain is nothing compared to the pain that Jesus Christ felt while He was on the cross of Calvary. I’m not perfect by any means. I mess up and sin. Not so with Jesus! He was sinless and while He was on the cross He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world–past, present, and future. The pain that He must have felt was excruciating, especially when our Heavenly Father turned away from Him. You remember Jesus’ words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

So my feet hurt. Big deal! Jesus took all my sins away. Maybe today you’re dealing with some pain. Turn to Jesus Christ and thank Him for being the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Our pain here is not so big compared to what it is that He went through.

Postscript:

Am I minimizing my pain or others pain? Perhaps some might think so. There’s comfort, I believe, in knowing that there is One greater than myself that endured pain beyond anything I could ever imagine, and if He did what He did, and I believe He did, then I can endure, I can persevere, I will live even if in pain.

Click on the pic!