TOUGH ENOUGH!

In March of 2020, I asked Dr. Brcka for a double knee replacement. He asked me, “How tough are you?” Cluelessly, I answered,“Tough enough!” And I would have been except for trying too hard in physical therapy and the resulting blood clots. Praise the Lord, He gave me strength to survive both.

Since my early twenties, I haven’t been much of a cry baby. I have prided myself on my toughness and ability to cope. I have thought myself relatively strong emotionally. Some would call it bullheaded, but whatever.

Physical strength has never been a priority. In my younger days, I would attack trees and cut them down without breaking a sweat. Demolishing things in the house that needed upgrading – no problem! I wasn’t into organized exercise, but I worked hard.

Now despite being somewhere between fluffy and morbidly obese, I still work at exercising. I try to keep my muscles strong, Doesn’t work well, but I keep trying.

BUT!

I have found the strongest part of my body! I honestly think it is getting stronger by the second! What is it you ask?

Bless my heart! It’s my Toenail!

I tried clippers, scissors, and specialty nail nippers. Nothing made a difference! Finally in desperation, I brought my Dremel from the craft area. In some of my projects, I have had the Dremel eat up wood in a nanosecond. However, the Dremel refused to make even a dent on that big ol’ toenail! Haven’t figured out what to try next, but I’ve got to do something before that sucker pokes a hole clear through the toe of my shoe!

Which got me to thinkin’.

There are unhealthy habits or unwholesome personality traits in our lives that we may think are too hard or immoveable to eradicate. They damage our relationships and bodies. Allowed to continue to overtake us, those behaviors or thoughts retard spiritual growth and lead us to a very unpleasant eternity to say the least!

Take time to read Mark 7:20-23 in different translations to find the sins listed that mankind must overcome.

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves, For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free. and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:22-25 NLT

So we need to learn the Word and become not only hearers but also doers.

“So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose you own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to God, both now and forever! Amen.

And one last great verse. “But if we confess our sins to Jesus, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 9 KBH paraphrase

Blessings

KB