Friday, October 30, 2009

Update, Follower Issues and Surgery

Hi everyone,

I wanted to let you all know that new posts are coming as well as new pod-casts.
On October 27th I underwent surgery and am spending time recuperating and recovering. It was a bit of a process as they had to perform 3 separate surgeries in the course of one operation, but as we all know God is faithful. He brought me through with His mighty hand of mercy and grace.
I am thankful to be able to say; because the Father kept me through it all I am no longer afraid of surgery. While it was not elective and I don't know if I will ever get to the place of opting for elective surgery I now know in a way that I have never known before that He will keep me and in Him I find safety in the time of storm.

I also want to say Blogger is apparently having issues with followers.
If it seems that I all of a sudden stopped following you, please know that is not the case. I have had a few of you email me to find out if everything was okay because I stopped following you. Please know it is not me it is Blogger.
I too have had some followers disappear. It seems Blogger has had this issue for some months. If it is showing me as no longer following you please email me and I will immediately begin to resume following.

I also want to let you all know we have some great things coming up at the Well, things you certainly do not want to miss, so check back often. We will have a very special treat for you on November 9th, one I know you don't want to miss.

Now as I recover I thought this post from the November 08 archives was a timely word, given the process I just went through.

I hope it blesses you as much today as it did then.

Until next time,


Definition of Elective surgery
Elective surgery: Surgery that is subject to choice (election). The choice may be made by the patient or doctor.
For example, the time when a surgical procedure is performed may be elective. The procedure is beneficial to the patient but does not need be done at a particular time.
As opposed to urgent or emergency surgery.
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I have a confession to make, I have a fear of surgery. I have no idea where this fear comes from since I’ve never had surgery.
Well… there was the little matter of that emergency c-section with my second son, but other than that I’ve never had surgery.
When faced with the possibility of having an operation, the thought of surgery would strike pure terror into my innermost being and the idea of having elective surgery was inconceivable.
I could not fathom why anyone would ever opt to have surgery done as an “elective” procedure. To make a conscience decision to readily allow yourself to be cut open and worked on was just beyond me. In my mind, whatever the reason for elective surgery, it couldn’t be that serious otherwise it wouldn’t be elective right?

Having had time to mature and grow in my walk I’ve discovered surgery is a good thing. The definition of elective surgery says the choice may be made by the patient or the doctor.
No good doctor opts for surgery unless it is absolutely for your benefit, to provide you with the best health and optimum life possible. This is what the Lord wants for us, our best spiritual health and to have us live our life to the fullest potential possible while we are on the earth.

By now I’m sure you are wondering why I’m talking about surgery? You see, I was in need of corrective surgery earlier in my walk, however I was not open to allowing the Lord to perform it. This surgery was necessary and vital to my spiritual life. Initially the surgery was elective, I had a choice to allow the Father to do what needed to be done so that I could thrive for and in the Kingdom.
After prolonging the inevitable the choice soon become the Lord’s and because of His divine grace I am alive to tell you about it.

Like most Christians I did not come into the kingdom of God empty handed, I came with baggage, baggage that somehow had become part of me. I had carried it for so long it had meshed with the very essence of who I was and it needed to be removed. When I came to the foot of the cross I soon found God not only wanted to save me, he also wanted to change me, to change my life completely.
My initial reaction to change was to attempt to pick and choose the areas I wanted changed. Yes Lord you can have that but you can’t take this. Please remove this from my life, but just leave that safely tucked away. I want to be healed but I don’t want you to do the open heart surgery that is required to pluck up the root. I’m sure someone here can identify…

Little did I know, by not allowing the Lord to work on these areas I was hindering my progress and growth in Him. I was growing stagnant and weak in my walk. Despite the need for change I continued to strive in my own strength and power. Oh sure I noticed the limp in my walk but hey, I was still making progress right? Oh yeah, the crippled mouth was still there but at least I could smile through the ugly curve right? I was like the little engine that could, I was determined to make it on my own. I prayed, I praised, I was super saint (yeah right) but even in my weaknesses I did not fully seek the Lord for healing, for change or for deliverance, until I felt the spiritual life being choked out of me from the junk that I was so desperately hanging on to. In the natural I had a tendency to not go to the doctor until I felt I was 2 days from death. Without being aware of it, I had brought that same mentality with me into the Kingdom of God. I resisted going to the doctor for fear they would want to operate, I resisted going to the Father for fear he was going to operate. A small thing that could have been removed through elective surgery had grown and festered into something that required immediate and urgent surgery to restore my spiritual life.

Once my eyes where opened and I was able to see the damage that I was causing to my own walk, I ran to the one who could truly make me whole. No longer bound by the chains and reckless fears of my life, I sought out the master physician, the one who could do the work I so desperately needed. It was at this place where I allowed the Lord to pour on the balm of Gilead, to remove my stony heart and indeed put in a heart of flesh. It was in that place that I was made whole. At this place on the operating table otherwise known as the alter that I chose to lay down every sin and weight that was so easily besetting me. It was at this place that the healing came and life opened up in a brand new way. I was restored, refreshed and renewed in my spirit.

Jesus came that we can have life, and that we might have it more abundantly. It is His desire that we are free from all things that hinder us and cause our spiritual walk to be less than.
While I still have an aversion to natural surgery, the process of spiritual surgery no longer frightens me. I am open for change, correction and general spiritual overhauls.

Dear Well Watered Woman, exam your hearts today, see if there are things that you may be holding on too, that can hinder your walk with the Father. If you find any hindrances I encourage you today to take them to the foot of the cross and allow the Lord to have his way. Choose or in this case elect to have your heart changed, your life freed and made whole.

Until next time,

6 comments:

Mary said...

Such a good post and a wonderful analogy. You are such a good writer, Tony. Do you write for Christian magazines or anything?

TonyR said...

Thank you Mary.
Oh my goodness no I don't.
The Well is the only place that I'm brave enough to write.

Tony 8 )

Deanna said...

Dear Tony,
God bless you and may you quickly heal.
d

Anna Renee said...

Our God, the Great Physician! Speedy healing to you, both physical and spiritual. :-)
Blessings

Love Abounds At Home said...

Tony I'm so thankful to the Lord for taking you through the surgery. Now you can focus on Kingdom work and continue blessing the world through your words and your voice.
Thank you for being so inspirational :)

Mommy Saves ALOT!!! said...

I'm glad you are feeling good. Hope you get well!

Much Love....