This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.
One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.
can't be replaced
knee replacement
********************
It was just over a year ago that I had a total knee replacement. My knee had become so damaged by arthritis that the rough, nasty surfaces at the ends of the bones had to be removed, and replaced by metal and plastic parts cemented into place. After a time of healing and rehab, the replacement parts function the way my natural knee was intended to. Isn't it wonderful what can be done in modern medicine?
It was a painful surgery, but it had a purpose. I recovered more quickly than I expected, and I was motivated to do those rehab exercises to regain my strength and make sure that I got my mobility back. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that once my leg was straightened out and I could walk without a limp, my back and hip pain was no longer an issue. And my other knee was no longer unduly stressed by a limp so it doesn't hurt any more, and may not need to be replaced for many years. Maybe not at all!
Sometimes just relieving pain and focusing on a symptom is not enough. We need to address the source of the problem if we want the pain to stop. I had tried cortisone shots and a gel lubricant injection, and those provided only temporary relief. I used a cane to help me walk, but it also didn't really solve the problem. The ruined parts needed to be removed and replaced.
I think there's a lesson about other parts of life too. If we have bad or unhealthy habits or toxic ways of thinking, we may need to actually replace those habits and thought patterns with new and better ones, rather than just cut down on our bad habit or hide our "stinkin' thinkin'" behind a fake smile and an insistence that everything is okay when it's not.
Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results. ~Willie Nelson
The only proper way to eliminate bad habits is to replace them with good ones. ~Jerome Hines
Replace what you don't know about the future with what you do know about God! ~Christine Caine
Our yucky, dirty, sin-filled hearts can't be tidied up. They must be replaced by a heart that trusts and obeys God. As the Bible puts it, replacing our heart of stone with a heart of flesh. And guess what, we find that once our damaged heart has been replaced, we can straighten up and move more freely, and all parts of our lives are restored so that we can live with the joy God had intended for us.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
~Ezekiel 36:26-27~
********************
The best way to find something you have lost is to buy a replacement. ~Ann Landers
********************
Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email.
©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I am glad to hear how well the knee replacement went! It is a good analogy for spiritual life, as the verse from Ezekiel tells us.
ReplyDeleteI've learned a lot of lessons from that knee replacement! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteSo many purposes for all the things we go through in life - including surgeries, pain, recoveries and other procedures. How wise you are to remember all that you went though and how God has restored and made new.....a great analogy to our hearts! Thankful that I have a new heart:)
ReplyDeleteI'm also so very thankful for my new heart! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteJoyce Kilmer back then said it best,
ReplyDeletethat only God can make a tree,
but He put mankind to the test,
and engineers now make a knee
that surgeons with God-gifted hands
can set and fiddle and emplace
with bolts and screws and tensioned bands
what folks could not in past replace,
which leads my wife to wonder why
there is not yet a road ahead
upon which medicos might try
to replace what's in my head
with a new brain that could run
without a single awful pun.
Something to ponder, for sure! I think it's just as well if the scientists concentrate on replacing joints rather than brains! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteI love that verse from Ezekial! When Jesus came He gave us a new heart! Thank you for sharing that great Willie Nelson quote!
ReplyDeletethose are some wise words from Willie Nelson, for sure! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Deleteso true, that need to replace the old habits with new and healthy options. thanks for that nudge today, Kym. so needed!
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, I need it too! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteYou have drawn such good lessons from your surgery. You are so right - we need to get to the source of our pain and not just relieve it but remove and correct it. So grateful for the surgery He does on our hearts!
ReplyDeleteBest part about God's heart surgery is that there's no long waits for an appointment! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteA very good lesson.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Knees and hearts replaced. Painful processes, but oh so worth getting a renewed and functional lease on life. I’m glad for you and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLisa