RADICAL CHALLENGES, RADICAL CHOICES
In our world, a challenge becomes a need for meaningful exploration. It becomes incredibly important. The late Dr. Scott Peck, psychiatrist, also saw it as perhaps a difficulty. He wrote: “Life is difficult. this is a great truth…once we know this, then life is no longer difficult.”It took careful reflection before this profound Dr. Peck statement become a reality for me. Once I recognized life is difficult, often painfully hard (suffering included), I no longer could accept self-pity, anger, and blame as appropriate tools to lessen the difficulty. Instead, I addressed the pain, suffering, hardship head on.
- The Why Me? (known as self-pity) changed to Why Not Me? (known as courage). “I can do this” became my mantra.
- The anger turned to firm resolve and personal responsibility.
- The blame game (viewed as passing the buck) became an opportunity to solve the demanding challenge.
Right now, three persons come to mind whose lives faced a turn-around in just a few minutes. One was M.D. who was perfectly healthy one day but the next was hospitalized with stage 4 lymphoma cancer.
Another person was a high-powered, 35-year-old businessman hit by a massive stroke with a life change to a childlike status.
The third person was a retired teacher who took his grandchildren for a swim on a California vacation; the next second he had a broken neck and now is relearning how to feed himself.
Personally, last week while at NBC team camp in Oregon, I faced a RADICAL CHALLENGE. My Spokane oncologist called me with great concern regarding my changing cancer signs. Now I have only 22 more days to turn around these health signs before he forces a much harsher medical program.
Based on this information, today the following has become my RADICAL CHOICES:
- Eliminate stress; part of this is an NBC Camps sabbatical until 11/30/2019.
- Engage in silence discipline; I will not talk about my physical well-being nor will I have much access to my cell phone.
- Terminate temporarily Words of Hope blog writing until at least 9/1/2019; readers can feast on repeats (over 800 originals!).
- Modify my eating style and foods.
- Increase my exercise program.
- Put our home on the for-sale market.
- Seek the Lord and His Word in love daily.
- Fully expect to win and share good news.
I am writing to you all because I love life and I love you all. I would love to be with you. Yet, please understand why communication will be at a minimum. I wish this would not be my communication today, but it is necessary. This is a very serious time for me, and I am in the fight to win. Your prayers are extremely valued and appreciated.
