Every day is a second chance

Two years have gone by since my son's illness. The actual word is healing.  His testicles  were and are placed inside his  inner thighs among other changes in his body. Remembering back in September 4, 2016, when he got sick, as I took him to emergency three times the same week , before they knew what he had. Then being transfer to a Houston Texas hospital for immediate surgery, not knowing that his life was in a thread.
We have come a long way since then. My son still has the changes in his body, which in any other person would have made him depressed, yet God has given him peace of mind and hope for a  better tomorrow . A tomorrow when he can have the surgeries of reconstruction. He started working in his old job last year, not totally well. His walk in life isn't easy, his walk literally painful at times, has made him a stronger person , not giving up. Yes , there are times that as a mom, his mom, I wonder will he recuperate to his old life again? And I hear him say in conversation....mom , when I have my own children. You see my son has never married and he has no children, yet he trusts God for a total recuperation.
Two years ago doctors said, he might not make it, God said : he will. I call that  a second chance. 

The son I almost lost

It was August 8th 2016, my son woke up to a terrible pain in his left lower side and didn't go to work. He thought it was just a simple pain and that it would go away. Some days later the pain was unbearable and I took him to the emergency at Bayshore Hospital. They did some tests , gave him antibiotics and send him home, but the pain got worst. Two weeks later we were at the emergency again, after a couple of hours, a doctor went to the room and told my son that he was very ill and needed surgery right away. They made preparations to have him transfer  to another Hospital by ambulance. That night my son was seen by many doctors, all asking so many questions and trying to figure out the reason of a  flesh eating bacteria my son had in his intestines that had traveled all the way down to his colon and testicles. Three doctors took me aside and said; We just want to you to know that even after several surgeries we're going to have to do tonight , your son may not make it. He is very ill. My son was in surgery several hours, time that I called my family , and my son's dad. Then I sat on a bench and cried. I felt like my world as I knew, had no meaning. And in that desperation I called on God. I knew my son was going to go through so much pain, and at that moment I told God , just take my son, I don't want him to suffer. Of course I didn't mean what I had said, and I'm sure God knew. I cried to God and ask that He would put his hand first before the doctors and control everything they were going to do to my son that night. They came out to let me know that they had done all they could . I went home , it was six in the morning and I fell asleep. The phone rang at ten , one of the doctors that had done the surgery called to tell me that my son was going to make it.
  It has been a long process to recovery, but we have seen God's hand in my son's health this whole year. Its easy to talk about faith as long as we don't have to actually use it or need it. We never know how much faith we have until we go through something huge. We don't know how strong we are until we have to be, for one of our children. We don't know what God can do , until we are in great need of a miracle.

What is Classic Christians?

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."   Romans 12:1


There are many ideas of what a classic is.  The dictionary meaning according to Webster is, "serving as a standard of excellence of recognized value".   As I began delving into what makes a classic, I realized that striving to be a classic Christian person might be a good thing.  We aren't cars that someone will drive in a parade someday or that may end up in a museum, but each of us can set a standard that our children, family, and friends can look up to. Our lives can have a recognized value in the way that we live it.

How would we know  if we are classic....well lets see,
Do we have Heritage?
 Classic cars, toys, and other things classic are mostly known by their maker or manufacturer.   As a Christian we have a wonderful heritage.   We are God's children.

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.   The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."    Romans 8:14-17

"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Galatians 4:7

If someone turned you over to reveal your maker, would you have the right mark of identification? Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior?

Do we have Quality. ?
When we think of a classic, we usually think of something that has quality.   We think of the effectiveness and the essential character that it has.   As Christians what could be more fitting as our quality, than holiness, because we serve a holy God.

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."   I Peter 1:13-16

Do we have Value?
We normally hang a pretty high price tag on our classics.   Think how much a classic car can range. In Christ, we have value too. It is nothing that we are on our own.  In contrast, He gave us our value when He died on the cross to save our souls.  What is more compelling to make us want to live our lives in His will and to reflect that value He has given us?

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."    I Corinthians 6:19,20

Are we Recognizable?
Classics of any type are easy to recognize.  There's that little detailing that marks them as unique. How about us?   When people look at us, do they know we are a Christian?  Can they tell who our Maker is?

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.   By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."    John 13:34,35
Are we Timeless?
You all know those movies we consider classics, such as It's A Wonderful Life or a classic book, such as Little Women.  The classics are ones we can watch over and over or read over and over again. How many of our lives would we want replayed?  Are we living in a way that our actions and deeds are worthy of being a classic?  Are we leaving an example for our children?  Are we leaving a heritage that is worth remembering or is all we've made just a fad that fades away?

Conforming to the will of God and being in tune with Him in all aspects of our lives will help us live the life we should and make our lives worthy of remembering.

I trust that we'll all strive to be classic Christian people. If we are parents, we should strive even so much more because we have children that take our lives for their examples. We don't even have to be dead and gone to see what effect we have on our children. We can see it in them as they continue to grow from day to day. Our children should have wonderful strengths and qualities that come out in them by what they learned as a result of our examples. Christ was our ultimate example.

No one should have to turn us over to check the mark of our Maker.  We should live in a way that it exudes from us.  When we've left this earth, other's memories of us should conjure up something with the classic lines that a well-lived life of a Christian should have.-JBettencourt

El Fin se acerca?

“…Porque vendrán muchos en mi nombre, diciendo: Yo soy el Cristo; y a muchos engañarán. Y oiréis de guerras y rumores de guerras; mirad que no os turbéis, porque es necesario que todo esto acontezca; pero aún no es el fin. Porque se levantará nación contra nación, y reino contra reino; y habrá pestes, y hambres, y terremotos en diferentes lugares. Y todo esto será principio de dolores...” (Mateo 24:5-8)

El panorama que se nos presenta a nivel mundial no puede ser peor, pues las guerras, el terrorismo imperante, la violencia y los desastres naturales cuya ocurrencia cada vez es más devastadora, nos mantienen en una constante zozobra y la oración más ferviente de los que creemos es “Señor depáranos un mejor mañana”.

Lo más reciente en materia de desastres nos llega como noticia triste desde Ecuador, pero bien pudiera ser una catástrofe de la que no está exento ningún otro país del mundo, pues la Biblia nos enseña que los tiempos que anteceden al fin estarán caracterizados por todos estos fenómenos.

 

Los que hemos creído que nuestras vidas están escondidas con Cristo en Dios, tenemos una esperanza, pero no debemos olvidar que más devastador que los eventos que se vienen sucediendo, es la apostasía y el ateísmo práctico(ser cristianos, pero vivir como si Dios no existiera), que se viene observando en el mundo evangélico, por lo que estar apercibidos y apercibiendo a nuestro prójimo, de que estamos a la puerta de un evento espiritual único, tiene que ser una verdad a proclamar, y un reto para perseverar por todos aquellos que formamos el pueblo de Dios, pues nuestro día nadie lo sabe.

Lo importante por ahora es prepararnos para que sea por la causa que sea, cuando tengamos que partir de este mundo, podamos decirle a nuestro rey: “Señor, al menos intenté alcanzar la santidad.-F Medina

 

Preparemonos como si Cristo viniera mañana y trabajemos para engrandecer su reino como si no viniera nunca! Vivamos como a EL le agrada:))