Monthly Archives: November 2021

Devotional Thoughts, The In-Law Chronicles, Uncategorized

The In-Law Chronicles, Episode 6: Nourishment

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Papa Raymond, my 88-year-old father-in-law, will have his second hip replacement surgery of 2021 tomorrow afternoon, on Veterans Day. Later this year, he’ll have eye surgery. You see what he’s up to, right? His plan looks obvious to me. Over the course of the next few years, he’s going to methodically replace all his body parts. He’s going to begin his ninth decade of life with the body of a 20-year-old. His 90th birthday cake will read, “Happy Birthday, Benjamin Button Climer!”

Preparation for tomorrow’s surgery begins at midnight tonight when Papa begins to fast. Wanting his next-to-last meal prior to surgery to be a good one, I made him my specialty: grilled hot dog with cheese and onions, along with a side of mac & cheese. As my cooking skills go, this is high-end. Whenever Big Steve lights the grill or pulls out a saucepan, something special is going down.

Toward the end of lunch, Papa did something he never does… ask for seconds. This is a man who eats like a dieting canary and weighs 138 pounds soaking wet. He never asks for seconds. For that matter, he rarely finishes firsts. So, when he asked to finish off the mac & cheese, we were all stunned.

“Tomorrow’s a big day, a lot going on,” he smiled and said. “Better get my nourishment today.”

Papa is a wise man. This isn’t his first rodeo, nor his first hip replacement. He knows what’s involved. It will be a challenging day, featuring drugs, needles, IVs, hospital food and, if he’s lucky, cute nurses. It all begins with about 15 hours of fasting. For a guy who likes his morning strawberry strudel with coffee, that’s tough. It’s a challenge. It’s a big day, especially for an 88-year-old.

How does he prepare? He loads up on nourishment today. He knows an extra scoop of mac & cheese today will strengthen him for whatever challenges tomorrow brings. This proactive consumption of calories might also make tomorrow’s inevitable 11 a.m. hunger pains a little more manageable. 

On this beautiful fall day in Maryville, Papa’s words are now looping in my brain: “A lot going on tomorrow… better get my nourishment today.”

And then I look out on the back porch and see Papa. Like almost every other day of his life, there’s an open Bible in his lap.

He’s getting nourishment.

Because every tomorrow has its challenges.

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Devotional Thoughts

Worth It

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 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”      – Romans 5:6-8

On the radio today, a local businessman discussed an interesting aspect of the Coronavirus pandemic. He said it forced him to prioritize and categorize the relationships in his life. 

Category 1 contains his “worth getting sick for” friends and family. These are the most important people in his life. He cherishes these relationships so much that he has been willing to risk getting the virus in order to be with them. Put another way, the real loss of not being with these special people for months or years trumped the potential risk of catching or spreading the virus. 

Category 2 contains his “not worth getting sick for” friends and family.  These people are still valuable to him, but they are not in his inner core of relationships. These are people you would regret not seeing for a year or longer as you wait out the virus, but they aren’t your most critical relationships. They aren’t worth the risk.

You may take exception to his approach, but he’s right in that we all prioritize our relationships. Your spouse and children mean more to you than the other people in your neighborhood. You may value your Christian friendships over casual acquaintances at the office.

Jesus makes no distinctions. He loves every one of us. He didn’t wait for us to love him or to stop sinning before He was willing to die for us. He selflessly and proactively gave himself up.

With Jesus, there are no “worth dying for” and “not worth dying for” categories. He loves all of us equally. We’re all worth it. He was willing to go far beyond the risk of being harmed. He came to Earth knowing full well the certainty of a horrific, painful death.

Still, two categories remain:

  1. Christians – those who are obedient to God’s Word. They believe in Christ, have confessed His name, have repented of their sins, have put on Christ in baptism, and continue to live faithfully.
  2. Everyone else.

In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus wants everyone in Category 1. 

They’re all worth it.

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