Faith

On onions and ACL injuries

~ J.Lynn24 ~ 1 Comment

IMG_9231I realized today I really wanted to write something on my blog, but had no idea what to write about.

And honestly, at first, onions popped into my head.

My mind eventually turned to where I was around this time three years ago. In September 2014, I hurt my left knee during a flag football intramural game. I drove back home and had my dad assess the already swelling and throbbing injury.

The next couple of days, my knee didn’t get better and I was scheduled for an MRI. The MRI results came back and the doctor confirmed our suspicions that I had torn my ACL. I would need reconstructive surgery if I wanted to be able to play basketball or other sports in the future.

One thing you should know about me: I hate needles and get pretty squeamish at the thought of a scalpel cutting into my flesh. So, surgery was pretty much my worst nightmare come true.

But I wanted to actually be able to play sports again.

In November 2014, I went in for surgery, where the doctor replaced my torn ACL with a portion of my own hamstring muscle combined with muscle from some person I’ll never know (I’ve dubbed him Stefan).

Let’s just say this was a hard time for me. The injury had happened early in my junior year of college, so I was missing that entire year of basketball and other sports. Physical therapy was a long process of re-learning how to walk correctly, trying to reach full extension with my knee and leg strengthening.

I remember searching Google, reading about other people who had torn their ACLs and promised it would get better in time. And I remember having a hard time believing them.

But I did believe something else. I knew God was there with me, throughout the entire process. My injury hadn’t come as a surprise to Him. No, He didn’t prevent it from happening, but He didn’t just abandon me when I was hurting.

I would not have been able to walk into that hospital, have the IV stuck in my arm and lie down on that hospital bed, while the doctor marked my knee with an X, if I hadn’t known God was in control. Trust me, I would have been freaking out. But I prayed for peace, and He gave me a quiet assurance that everything would be fine.

Maybe I will come back to the topic of onions.

Leo shrugging
Sometimes we have our lives planned out exactly as we think they should go. But just as Shrek said there are layers to ogres, there are also layers to life.

Often, we see only the outside layer — the immediate circumstances that surround us. And in life, those circumstances sometimes stink.

As we get deeper into life’s layers, however, we realize there’s more than just the immediate. It might be painful as we peel away those outer layers to get to the core of a situation. There might be some crying involved. There might be some chopping and dicing away.

But just as those steps are needed to prepare an onion to fulfill its part in a recipe, sometimes those steps are necessary for us in life — to grow, to mature, to develop into the type of person we choose to be.

What can you learn from these difficult times?

I would have never planned to tear my ACL and have surgery. But I can tell you that I now rarely take for granted my ability to run or play basketball. Sometimes that twinge in my knee is a great reminder of the journey it took to get to this point. And it reminds me of how God not only promised to take care of me, but how He followed through on that promise.

And if that was the only lesson learned from that particular moment in my life, I think it’s a pretty solid one.

Besides, now I have that much more in common with Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. Sorry, not sorry, I’m a diehard Patriots fan.

My response to hate: Unfailing love

~ J.Lynn24 ~ 2 Comments

Love

I think it’s an understatement to say the world is a pretty depressing place right now.

Each day, we’re besieged with news of terrible occurrences seeping with so much hate, pain and death. It’s hard to keep from being weighed down by it all (and I know I have barely the slightest of an inkling of an idea of what some people experience in their day-to-day lives).

Not to get all hippy-dippy on you, but it makes me realize the importance of love. Not just an exclusive love for certain people that we’ve grown to like and accept. Not just a love for people similar to us. Not just a fleeting love for Klondike Bars and Cheetos.

Unfailing love.

For every person.

And let me say I know there is nobody on earth that can have completely unfailing love.

Let me also say I know there is a God that is unfailing love.

Before anybody scoffs at me and exits this tab, please, just read on.

Jesus loves every single person no matter what. It doesn’t matter what family we’ve been born into, what country we originate from, what we look like, what we’ve done in the past or whether we like Star Wars or not.

Jesus still loves us.

But He didn’t just love us from afar. He wanted us to personally experience that unfailing love. So, He made a way for that to happen.

Jesus entered this world only to face the hate, shame, discrimination, rejection and pain of a world that wanted Him dead — the same hate and discrimination that so many people still face today. And you know what? The world got its way and killed Him. It seemed that hate and death would win.

Jesus didn’t stay in that tomb, though. He rose again to live. By living, He defeated death, hate, shame and pain. In their stead, He offered unfailing love and abundant life to each one of us. And, in turn, He gave us hope.

But we can’t just take those gifts of unfailing love and hope and hoard them selfishly for ourselves. We need to extend those gifts to everyone else.

In a world that’s so enveloped in anger and pain, how much of an impact can one welcoming, encouraging and loving act be?

In a world so entrenched in darkness, how much more can one light shine and welcome the people around it?

Even when the world does its best to make us think hate is pulling ahead, let me remind you of something:

Love already won.

And it’s unfailing love.

***

Note: My inspiration for this post was from Psalm 69:13

You know what they say…

~ J.Lynn24 ~ Leave a comment

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So often, we look to others to form our value, self-worth, opinions, beliefs and habits. We think, “Well, you know what they say” or “Oh, they say I can’t [insert here], so…”

And that’s that.

They say.

How did this phrase evolve to become a common method of asserting wisdom, facts or viewpoints — whether true or false?

* * *

While I’m sure there are numerous studies about this phrase out there, my thoughts turned to when Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

His disciples basically answered with, “Oh, well, they say you’re John the Baptist. Oh, they say you’re Elijah. Oh, they say you’re one of the prophets.”

And then, (in my paraphrased vernacular), Jesus gets straight to the point: “Yeah, who cares what they say… Who do you say I am?”

Who do you say I am?

* * *

I can speak only for myself and from my personal experiences. I can tell you how delicious this homemade ice cream cake with cookie dough, brownies, crushed Oreos and hot fudge is. But until you taste it for yourself, you’ll only be basing your opinion on what I’ve said about it (and trust me, it’s all good things).

I can tell you from my own experience who Jesus is to me personally, because He has proven Himself to me in various situations over and over again throughout my life.

He’s my provider.

He’s my guide.

He’s my best friend.

He’s my safe haven.

He’s my peace.

He’s my joy.

That’s who I say He is.

And you know what they say: Sometimes you can learn from the experience of others.

* * *

But who do you say He is?

Because they also say you make your own choices in life.

 

 

How great is my God

~ J.Lynn24 ~ Leave a comment

For some reason, I feel impressed to simply share these videos. Nothing ground-breaking from me — just some songs from Elevation Worship that have uplifted my spirit and led me into worship of my Creator.

It amazes me how quickly I can forget just how great my God is. I find myself starting to tell Him how something should work out, planning each and every step for Him — only to realize that He’s already got it all under control. This video from Louie Giglio always serves as a fantastic reminder of just who my God is (it is a longer one, but worth every single minute).

 

Eyes on You

~ J.Lynn24 ~ 1 Comment

“We do not know what to do,
but our eyes are on You.”
— II Chronicles 20:12

My mind is cluttered
with thoughts I can
barely piece together
and comprehend —

confusion, disbelief,
disappointment, pride —

These wisps of feelings
shift and circle,
creating an abstract image
that forces me to
constantly adjust my
focus until my lens blurs.

I do not know what to do,
but my eyes are on You, Lord.

My eyes are on You,
but instead of looking
for answers about me,
let me truly see —

Let me see You, Lord —
not just look with
glancing eye, only to
shift my gaze away with
each new shimmering
distraction.

Let me see You, Lord —
in the fullness of Your
grace and majesty, in
Your faithfulness that
grants to me such
blessed assurance.

Let me see You, Lord —
a glimpse of who You are
and the love that
compelled You to make
a way so these blind
eyes could see You.

My eyes are on You, Lord,
so let me see.

embedded in the moments of growth

~ J.Lynn24 ~ Leave a comment

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As an adult, it is easy
to reflect on your life
and pinpoint various
moments of growth —
but as a child, those times
of growth are often
challenging and arduous

for embedded in the
moments of growth
are moments of pain —
growing pains that ache
and throb — subtle thieves
that attempt to diminish
your achievements

for embedded in the
moments of growth
are moments of forbearance —
a patience that must be
learned — as others grow
at a faster pace, while you
wait and wait and wait

for embedded in the
moments of growth
are moments at rock bottom —
when you’re buried under
stress and expectations —
the heavy soil impeding
your journey to the sun

but it is from those moments —
the pain, the long-suffering,
the rock bottom —
that measurements gain meaning —
for once you reach a certain height,
it is then that you can look back
upon that low point and say,

“That point right there —
that’s where I’ve come from.”

Today is a good day to be alive

~ J.Lynn24 ~ 7 Comments

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Why?

Because this is another day
to do something you love
or to try something new.

This is another day for you
to randomly talk with a stranger
about tea and crepes and birthdays
(it’s not as unlikely as you’d think).

This is another day for you
to encounter a new friend
or to spend time with a cherished one.

This is another day for you
to listen to your all-time favorite song
or to discover a new one
that. just. gets. you.

This is another day for you
to lend a helping hand to someone
or to thank those who have lent one to you.

This is another day for you
to enjoy the vibrant green leaves
that have replaced the bleak brown branches
(even when you’re stuck sitting in traffic).

This is another day for you
to pick up a new book to read
or to finally finish writing your own.

This is another day for you
to color with crayons and markers
or to laugh at the child-like drawing you created
(of course that’s how you intended it to look).

This is another day for you
to turn your life around
or to keep staying strong on the path you’re on.

It’s a good day to be alive
because you’ve been gifted one more breath
and one more
and one more
to live this day.

So, what will you do with it?

How writer’s block and an old poem resulted in thoughts on trust

~ J.Lynn24 ~ Leave a comment

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I’ll be honest here: I was having a brain fart. Or a writer’s block. Or something.

So, I put on my music and considered writing a poem instead. But when opening Word, I glimpsed a poem I wrote on December 20, 2016. I opened “The musical river” and read it. Reading that spawned another idea, which led me to my blog and prompted me to write the following words: “I’m still not quite sure how I want to get a point across. So for now, I have another exercise.”

Well, let me just take it from there, because my writer’s block went away.

If you would, go to iTunes or Spotify or YouTube and pick your favorite song to listen to. And I mean, a song that really, really gets you — every single time you listen to it. (If you’re at a loss for a song, here’s one from The Piano Guys.)

Now, lose yourself… in the music, the moment…

***

The musical river

One musical note
doesn’t seem like much —
as a single drop of water
doesn’t amount to much.

Perhaps this note is a B flat
or a C sharp —
and perhaps this drop of water
falls from the faucet
or drops from the sky.

On its own,
that one musical note
seems lonely and without context —
and the drop of water
seems small and insignificant.

But when that one tone
is followed by other individual tones —
and when that drop of water
is joined by more beads of water —

together they define a new creation.

The musical notes
support each other,
lead each other,
pushing forward with a sense
of purpose and perseverance —
as the drops of water
join together to become
a single entity
that flows with elegant determination,
until, at last,

the end of a new masterpiece.

***

I’ve been thinking a lot about trust recently. In fact, I’ve been thinking about trust for the past couple of months. And when I thought of trust, my thoughts turned to trust falls. I’m sure you all know what a trust fall is, but just in case:

Trust is scary. That moment you choose to let yourself fall is a moment when you place complete control into the hands of someone else. You trust that person to ignore surrounding distractions and catch you, support you.

So, these thoughts were lingering in my mind, when I turned on my music and read this poem again. That’s when the following thoughts passed through my mind: Each musical note does a trust fall into the next one. Without the next note to catch the one before it, the music ceases to be.

The musical notes in your favorite song rely on each other to create the final outcome. Without that trust, their existence and ultimate purpose would be undetermined and meaningless.

I’ll let you ruminate on that thought for a bit.

I will trust and not be afraid

~ J.Lynn24 ~ Leave a comment

img_4026-newIn my previous post, I left you at a ledge with a decision to make: Would you stay content in the darkness or would you move toward the light?

That ledge is daunting. You have no idea how far the drop is or what you might find below — if you survive the fall. To jump would mean losing control. It would be a leap of faith — belief without logical proof that there is more than the darkness you’ve been in, that purpose can be found.

You jump.

Your heart pounds violently, and your stomach flops as you fall. You’re terrified and utterly helpless. You have no idea what will happen to you.

You continue to fall, until, suddenly, you’re submerged in cold water. Water rushes into your lungs and you try to keep your head above water. You tread water, but the water is deep and you quickly get tired. You try to swim, but you don’t know which direction to go. You yell out for help.

Then, you hear a voice say, “Here, take my hand.” You reach your arm out to grasp the outstretched hand. The person is in a small boat that has a lantern attached to the helm. The lantern’s light emits a warm glow that contrasts with the icy water engulfing you. The person hoists you into the boat and wraps a warm, dry blanket around you.

You don’t know who the person is. You don’t know where the person is going. But the person has helped you.

The person turns to look at you and asks you a question…

… and before you answer, I want you to remember that Princess Jasmine wouldn’t have discovered a whole new world if she hadn’t first decided to answer the same question:do-you-trust-me

Do you trust me?

An exercise in faith

~ J.Lynn24 ~ 1 Comment

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Imagine this:

You’re in a space with no light, immersed in complete darkness.

You stretch your arms out in front of you, seeking something — anything — for your fingers to touch and recognize. You move one foot cautiously forward, making sure there is solid ground underneath for you to step on.

With this carefulness, you walk around blindly, relying on your senses to perceive what is safe and what is not.

As your fingers and feet are exploring, you catch your breath. Your front foot has nowhere to go. The ground has disappeared in front of you. Realizing you are at a ledge, you take a step backward and return to the ground you know is safe.

You sit there. You lose all sense of direction. There is nothing but you and the stifling darkness. You begin to think you’ll never escape.

Suddenly, your eyes are jolted by a flicker of light.

It is small and distant, yet it radiates energy and purpose in the still darkness.

The ledge looms between you and the faraway light.

Now what do you do?

Do you stay in the darkness?

Or do you walk toward the light?