More equal...

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	8.7	13-17	v
Platelets	32	140-375	v
ANC	1680	1800-8300	v

"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) This is one of my favorite verses from Scripture. Every day is a good day, when we enter into the presence of the Lord. Each day is different, of course, but there is goodness in every day. 

George Orwell, English writer and philosopher, famously wrote in his satirical novella "Animal Farm," that "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." The story, if you are not familiar with it, is essentially a warning to those who are not paying attention to what is going on around them, and that not everyone has the other guy's best interest at heart. 

In Animal Farm, the story of a farmyard, there are the typical array of animals one would expect to be residing with, say, "Old MacDonald." Orwell, though, draws a parallel between the animals and human political beings. On his farm, the pigs start pushing the other animals around. I wonder why he happened to choose the pigs for that role. At any rate, while the other animals are not paying attention, the pigs take over as rulers of the farmyard. When the other animals wake up and ask the pigs why they (the pigs) seem to have more privileges than the other animals, the pigs reply that "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." If you look around, you may find some parallels in our own nation's current political landscape. 

Now that is my silly way of getting to the point that every day the Lord has made is a good day, but some days, let's face it, feel better than others. I returned from several days in the hospital on Tuesday. It is great to be home, and Tuesday was one of those undeniably joyful days that homecomings should be. My stay at the hospital went well. I received not only important medical care but also an outpouring of love from the oncology staff that nearly overwhelmed me. 

On the other hand, I have to admit that yesterday, St. Valentine's Day, was "not as equal" as was homecoming Tuesday, even though, it too was a day that God had made for me to rejoice in. Unfortunately, some of the medications I received have taken a toll on my digestive system. My intestines have been unhappy since yesterday morning, or even Tuesday evening. I know, TMI, right? 

The fact is, though, that God doesn't waste anything, and He gave me a day yesterday in which rest was the order of business. In fact, I had very little choice in the matter. Trying to ignore my distress would have been impossible, so I made a different choice. I chose to embrace the fact that I felt crummy; that God allowed me to feel crummy; and He had a purpose in doing so, namely to get me to slow down and rest. In the end, the day was a blessing, although I fear not very romantic for my beautiful wife, for whom I wanted to play the Valentine's Day Romeo to her Juliet. 

It never ceases to amaze me how God continues to bless me (us) even when His methods might not be chosen to my liking. I once saw a "retro-fit" of the Dale Evans song, whose verse goes, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." The retrofit went like this: "Jesus knows me, this I love!" I do love that my Lord and Savior knows me so well, even knowing that sometimes He needs to take drastic measures to slow me down for my own good. 

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever! (1 Chronicles 16:34)