Tag: perspective

Posted on

Where has the last three years gone?

I went to Chicago this month in an airplane.  As I watched from my window seat while the plane took off, I was struck by the fact that I hadn’t flown anywhere since January of 2020.  It surprised me how unsettling this was in conjunction with losing out on most of 2019 due to my battle with Gullian-Syndrome. If you are a recent reader of this blog, here is the link that chronicles my recovery from that crazy disease.  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelguthrie Processing what I went through, led to me starting this blog so that I could share with those who were interested, what I have learned since all of this happened.  Here is a link to one of the first blog posts back in the fall of 2019.  https://thankfulinallthings.com/337-2/ Wow!  My life changed because of Guillain-Barre and then because of Covid given GBS is a compromised immune system disorder.

Since that plane trip and with my 70th birthday right around the corner, I have dealt with grieving over the time lost and things I did not get to do. It is time I can’t get back.  It caught me by surprise how The Chicago trip brought it all back.  My self reflection leaves me hoping that like this picture, I have had some success at “blooming where I have been planted”. It hasn’t been easy.  I have written about how I have been envious of what others were able to do while Dottie and I remained in our self-isolated cocoon.

Yes.  I was discouraged but, I never lost hope.  Why?  When I was first diagnosed with GBS, a doctor friend shared, “it will get worse but you will get better”. I found these words comforting because it allowed me to focus on a positive outcome.  A Realtor in my company shared the other day that “Stress is when you don’t what will be your next steps”.  Even though I was paralyzed from the head down, I never felt stress but began asking the question, What do I need to do next to speed up my recovery?  My next steps were to remember Paul’s promise in Philippians 4:6,7.  Instead of succombing to the angst of my circumstances, I was to, “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  I was to, remember that Jesus said to come to Him with my burdens and He would give me rest.  https://www.biblehub.com/matthew/11-28.htm

So how I have resolved the question, “where have the last 3 years gone”? I meditate on Jeremiah 29:11 remembering God knows the plans He has for me  https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/29-11.htm
and therefore like Paul, 

Do you feel stressed out?  Are their circumstances in your life that create anxiety?  Maybe your next steps should be what Beth Moore recently wrote.  ‘“We cannot take God at his word if we don’t know his words. If we don’t know his promises, we cannot profess with confidence that he will keep every last one of them. Spend some time in Scripture every single day. Will you ask God to give you an insatiable appetite to know Him better.”

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  It means so much that you took time to read it.  Please share it with others if you think it might be an encouragement to them. I would love for you to subscribe so you can receive email notifications when new content is posted.  I can be reached by email at [email protected]

Posted on

Acknowledging the tension between Sadness and Gratitude

How could this picture bring about sadness? Doesn’t everyone look like they are having a good time? I mean you are on a dock looking at boats on a beautiful day with family. What could be better? The gratitude part for Dottie and me says, “we are blessed to get away to a beautiful place with those we love. Nothing brings us more joy. So where is the sadness? The sadness is what isn’t pictured here. It reminds me that my son, his wife, and three kids weren’t with us leaving a huge void. Not being the one to pull the wagon conveys Dottie and me having to stay socially distanced because of Covid19. There is not one picture of us and our grandkids because we couldn’t even be inside, hug them or have them sit in our laps.

Scripture like the one pictured above remind us of this tension. No matter what comes our way, we can remain “Thankful in all Things” because God made tensions like these for our own good. This tension and others like “out of adversity comes strength”, “letting go allows God to do His thing”, and “peace in the midst of turmoil” are used to strengthen our relationship with God. Our creator who is always with us in the good and the bad. Like the footprints in the sand poem, God is always there. We just sometimes forget to look for Him.

Kellie Balarie prays- “God, help us. Where we are weak, make us strong. Where we are wavering, help us lay our anchor down. May we find strength through knowing you hold us. We no longer need to be held down by the world’s claws. May we believe you are so believable we see your hand in our everything.”

May we seek contentment in everything whether it produces Gratitude or heart felt Sadness. Jesus tells us how in John 15:10,11.
“Keep My commandments and no matter what remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” I pray the same for each of you who read this blog.

For the story of how this blog got started, go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelguthrie You can reach me by email at [email protected]

Posted on

For what are you longing?

In a world where we rarely agree any more one thing is for sure. We all long for this time of sheltering in place and social distancing to be over. Living our lives via Virtual zoom, FaceTime, youtube, etc. is wearing on us all. How that happens and when is a different question but it is impacting every one of us. Some feel strongly we need to stay the course and not have folks venturing out to fast. Others have lost their patience and are saying enough is enough. Like the newscaster in the movie, Network, they are acting upon their feelings “I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it any more.” They are going to take their chances with the hope I won’t come down with Covid19 or give it to someone else. They are willing to risk “the long term consequence for the short term opportunity of being with friends again”.

My hope is we won’t be too quick to judge others. That we will extend grace to one another understanding we are all dealing with something that is new. When faced with adversity, we all are not going to react in the same manner. It is no surprise that one recent study shows, 30% of us show symptoms of clinical depression. It begs the question, for what are we longing as we wait? If we can get our arms around that question, I think it can help us persevere through and relate better with those around us. It certainly did for me as I battled back from Guillain Barre Syndrome during the spring months of 2019. Little did Dottie and I know we would once again battle through another type of adversity during those same months in 2020. Hopefully what we have learned will in some way help you during this challenging and stressful time. Which brings me back to the importance of longing for something.

When things were at their worse, we chose to focus on staying in the present with our motivation being what’s next? What can we do next? Longing for an unknown future did us no good. All we could control was what we did in each moment that would hopefully make me better the next day trusting in verses like Psalm 46:1,2 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way  and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” As an example, I went into the hospital on March 1, 2019 and we honestly never asked when the experts thought I would be able to go home. We sensed longing for something given our uncertain situation would just lead us into discouragement. We chose to stay focused on OK this is where we are right now, What can I do next to get me a little bit better tomorrow.
I believe there is a parallel between this thought process for my GBS recovery and how we all should be dealing with this season of Coronavirus. Taking it moment by moment, day by day helped keep us from spiraling down into discouragement. Interestingly enough, the last two weeks in rehab were the worst. Why? Because once they told me I would go home on 4/25, I lost my in the moment thinking. All I could think of was going home. My rehab room felt like a prison. Sound familiar? Most of us have handled this stay at home order well but we now can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is causing all of us to lose the discipline of staying in the moment. We are losing our patience because we desire and want something we can’t control which creates angst & frustration.

Staying in the moment is essential when we face a challenge but thinking of and serving others can also help you through this difficult time. When we start succumbing to the desire for a “pity party” try getting outside yourself by doing something for someone else. My good friend Bill Clark shared in a recent blog post that understanding we are all in this together is critical. “Romans 12 “the body” United upward, inward, outward. indispensable every part matters. Each of us matter. Interdependent and connected as there are no such things as an isolated walk w Christ. Most of the Yous in the Bible are You all. Therefore resentment and bitterness is like a cancer. We are the body to shine the light of Christ. We are to follow Him so he can lead us outward to serve and care for one another so the world can see what God is like. Others are to encounter God through us.

I long for the world to be a better place than it was before Covid19. A world where we learned a slower pace is good for our health. A world where we see we are all in this together with a keener awareness of those in need. A world where we believe and stand together knowing each one of us is precious in God’s sight. A world where we don’t think as much about our rights but instead, as we venture back out, we think about how our actions are impacting those around us. It won’t be easy but if we try it moment by moment “What can I do next to serve someone” mentality we will have done our part in making our community a better place.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe to www.thankfulinallthings.com Please also forward to others who you think might be encouraged reading this blog. I can be reached at [email protected]

Posted on

Love conquers all

The power of others love and support

It is interesting now to try and bring back the memories of being in the step down ICU unable to move anything but my head and a couple fingers and toes. Those days and nights were so miserable. Totally dependent on others and not being able to sleep. I never want to experience it again but I want to hold on to the more desperate I felt, the closer I felt to God and allowed myself to be uplifted by others. I have already written about my Doctor friend promising I would get better. My daughter Becca (with her medical background) was next to put things in the proper perspective. She shared with Dottie and our two other children, “this is not good but it could be so much worse. We are in for a long rough stretch but it isn’t a stroke, heart attack or him being diagnosed with some type of long term or terminal illness” It made me think back to when my Dad was at Walter Reed hospital in His last days. Becca (23 then) is the one that made such a great point then as well. “Dad, Papa has had a long well lived life while these young men and women are coming back from war fighting now for their lives. “ From the very beginning, God made His presence known through the amazing and constant care of family, friends, and people I didn’t even know. A few months ago, I sat on my porch and made a list of those who went the extra mile for me and Dottie. I was stunned by how long the list was knowing many folks have to suffer through these types of things alone or with very little support. This was written on the original www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelguthrie post and to this day remains so true. “We are grateful for Michael’s prayer warriors and fans around the world and know that you will lift him up and channel your love and positive energy toward Michael, Dottie and all the Guthries.” This is just as true today as it was back at the beginning of this unexpected season of my life. I look forward to sharing specific examples in a future post of how folks leaned in to help move us forward. It has been truly remarkable.