Monthly Archives: October 2021

I love this time of year! The sunny autumn days and crisp, clear nights, the geese flying overhead, the pumpkins in the fields, the crunch of leaves underfoot – it’s just a wonderful time to be alive!

What I enjoy most, however, is watching the leaves change. While I love watching the tender, new leaves unfurl in the spring and I enjoy the shade offered by the leaves of summer, it’s the autumn leaves which take my breath away. Yellows, reds, oranges, green and brown! Amazing!

The thing is, that beauty has been there within the leaf all along, but it is only in it’s last few days, just before it falls to the ground, it’s true beauty is fully revealed. All which has gone before – the rains and winds of spring, the heat of summer – have all worked together to lead to this last spectacular burst of color just before winter’s blasts leave the tree branches bare and the ground covered in white.

That’s how I want my life to be. I turned 61 this year. I’m entering my autumn years. Everything that has gone before – the trials and disappointments, the challenges and small victories – have served to mold me, strengthen me, and change me into the man I am right now. Like the leaves of autumn my true colors are starting to show.

My prayer is that God has kept His promise and “made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV) I pray that all which has gone before has served to mold within me “the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. ” (1 Peter 3:4 NLT). I pray that when my colors all others will see is Jesus.

You too may be in the autumn of your days or still enjoying the wonder of springtime, but whatever stage you are in, you can live for Jesus. Let Him take all your wounds and scars, trials and disappointments, victories and defeats and make “everything beautiful in its time.” No matter what season you’re in, give Jesus control and let your colors show!

I’m an early riser, but no matter how early I get up there is always someone waiting outside my door to greet me. Princess, one of our cats, is always waiting for me to open the door, asking for a tummy rub and begging to be fed. If she isn’t there I get worried and go looking for her, making sure she’s okay.

Someone else is always waiting for me to wake up each morning, but He’s not looking for attention or begging for food. No, my Heavenly Father is just glad to see me. He is waiting there to meet my every need, to be my companion throughout my day, my confidant and my best friend. He’s there to support me, comfort me, and to guide “me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3 NIV).

God knows everything about me, yet He still loves me. He “know[s] when I sit and and when I rise…perceive[s] my thoughts from afar…discern[s] my going out and my lying down….” He is “familiar with all my ways…Before a word is on my tongue [He] know[s] it completely.” (Psalm 139:2,3, 6)

Princess, after she’s had her belly rubbed and her tummy is full, pretty much ignores me until she wants something else. God, however, promises “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). He says, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

Even if I wanted to get away from God I couldn’t, because no matter where I run He is there. Even if I were to pull up stakes and “settle on the far side of the sea, even there [His] hand will guide me, [His] right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:9, 10).

I’m on God’s mind all the time. In fact, if I were to count His thoughts about me, “they would outnumber the grains of sand.” (v. 18). Even when I turn out the lights and go to sleep, He still is watching over me and when I awake He is still there, welcoming me to a new day.

My cat may not always be there to greet me each morning, but I know my God always will. He’s there for you too, my friend. He’s not going anywhere. Don’t keep Him waiting any longer. Open the door and welcome Him into your heart today!

God bless and have a wonderful new week!

Yesterday I did an I&D on a large cyst on a patient’s chest which had been causing him pain for several days. When I made the incision it exploded with a very satisfying “pop” (I know that’s gross, but just ask Dr. Pimple Popper – this is the fun stuff!). I placed a drain, covered the wound with a dressing and sent the patient on his way with a tiny hole in his chest and in a lot less pain than before.

Walking back to my desk I thought, “I love this job.” The thought stopped me in my tracks and I almost laughed out loud, because this is the same job I hated when I left over a year and a half ago. At that time I could hardly wait to get out of here, but now I’m back and I’m loving it!

So, why the change? The work is still just as hard, the hours just as long, and I’m still just as exhausted at the end of a 12 (or 13 or 14) hour shift as I was before, but now I’m loving every minute of it. So, what made the difference? It’s called attitude!

Last year, after struggling with God about my career for decades, moaning and groaning and begging Him to get me out, I finally gave up and gave Him control. I surrendered to Him, giving myself to Him as “a living and holy sacrifice.”

When I did this God did the most amazing thing! He transformed me “into a new person by changing the way [I] think.” In other words He gave me a new attitude!

Life is so much better now. I get up eager to get to work and I go home feeling like I made a real difference. I even enjoy my days off better, because I’m not dreading having to go back to work. I just wish I’d let him do this 30 years ago, at the beginning of my career, instead of now, towards the end. But, oh well, better late than never!

Our attitudes make all the difference in how our lives turn out. They determine whether we’re happy or miserable in our jobs, our marriages, or whatever situation we find ourselves in. They even determine how successful we will become. As Zig Ziglar said, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

Philippians 2:5 says we “must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” This is the real secret. Jesus “took the humble position of a slave and was born a human being.” (Philippians 2:6). He did this out of His love for you and I and He wants us to do the same for each other, to not “look out only for your own interests, but take interests in others, too.” (v. 3).

Are you feeling miserable in your job like I was not so long ago? Is your marriage a mess? Are you just dragging yourself through the day? If so, then it’s time for an attitude adjustment. Give yourself to God today as “a living and holy sacrifice” and “let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23), giving you “the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” .

Haven’t you been miserable long enough? Let Jesus take control today and discover how wonderful it feels to have a new attitude – an attitude of gratitude!