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My One Word for 2020 will be ……..?

Several years ago I read a book titled, One Word. It was written by my friends Dan Britton and Jimmy Page with help from well known author Jon Gordon. It is quite simple. It provides you a “how to” on how to boil the upcoming year into a One Word focus. You spend time thinking about where you are in your life and what One Word can help you become a better you in the coming year. If you have been a follower of my story here, you know 2019 was quite the year. If you are finding this blog for the first time, you can read previous posts here or go to https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelguthrie to find out about my year dealing with Guillain Barre Syndrome. The journey I embarked on 10 months ago was one I never expected when I made the decision to choose Prayer for my One Word focus in 2019. I chose prayer because of my desire to be more diligent in my own prayer life. I wanted to trust God more and felt through an enhanced prayer life, i would draw closer to Him as I watched how my prayers would be answered for me and for the others who i committed to pray for regularly. Instead, through my illness, I learned that I was the one who would need everyone else’s prayers. I can’t even number how may folks lifted Dottie and me up not just once but over and over again. The bible says, “Make your requests know to God and you will experience a peace unknown to man” . It also says, “the prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail” . I am grateful for the multiple of people who have consistently prayed for me and my family from Day one and throughout my continued recovery. There is no doubt that it has given me the power and strength to prevail. My renewed health is an answer to those prayers and for that I am thankful. This thankfulness leads me back to what my One Word will be for 2020. and that word is……..

Generosity! It is my turn to give back. I look back and am astounded by how many people stepped up to care for the Guthrie crew. I have written about this in previous posts. The list of these acts of kindness have continued and are much appreciated. This year I want to be intentional in my generosity. True generosity is an offering; given freely and out of pure love. By its very definition, I want to be a someone who “shows a readiness to give more of something (like money or time) than is expected” like so many have done for me. My One Word is Generosity but I want my focus each day to be a commitment to RISE UP! It reminds and exhorts me to be Resolved Intentional Striving for Extraordinary things with Unbelievable/Unique Purpose/Passion

There is so much hurt and struggle in our world. So much of it makes no sense at all so we become discouraged and cave in to the thought process that there is nothing we can do. My hope is you will join me in Rising Up with a desire to make a difference in your part of the world. If 2019 taught me nothing else, it taught me one’s generosity can make a positive impact as time and time again, it sure impacted mine. Happy New Year everyone!

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There are gifts and then there are Gifts

A while ago, I paraphrased Isaiah 43:1,2 as they were balm to my soul as I recovered from Guillain Barre. “But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Michael.  he who formed you and created you to be His. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the adversity that challenges you,  I will be with you; and when you pass through weakness and discouragement, You will not be overcome. As you struggle with infirmities, you will not be devastated. I will protect you and lift you up.” 

This verse came to mind again this week as we celebrated Christmas. I have indeed passed through a time of real adversity and know without a doubt that God was with me in the midst of the challenge which time and time kept me from discouragement. What does this have to do with Christmas? It is certainly not just the stockings hung from the mantle with care.

Many know that the Advent season focuses on expectation and think that it serves as an anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. I think this is why Advent this year brought new meaning for me. You see, I had my own season of waiting in anticipation that I would one day move again. Jesus came saying He would become like light in the darkness. I felt His presence as well while I went through the dark time of waiting on being able to move again much less walking out of rehab two months ahead of schedule on April 25th, 2019.

So this Advent season, I waited with expectation because I was filled with joy and gratitude that like Jesus being born on Christmas, my Lord showed up in my life as He did for all of us more than 2000 years ago. Therefore, it was not about the gifts that were opened but the love that each gift represented for me. You see, I am grateful for the gift of slowly but surely getting better. The good news is my PT says she will get me back to 100%. The bad news is I will still be 67 and not 40 🙂 Therefore, the gift I am trying to give to my wife, kids, and grandkids is me being the best me I can be spiritually and physically. That way, I hope to be a person of encouragement to those around me for as long as the Lord allows. Being a light for those who are facing adversities in their own lives. My verse for 2020 will be 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ” I hope in some way I this blog post has done that for some of you so like Jesus, we can all carry the light into this world.

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Being forced to learn how to “Be Still and know that He is God”

Give yourself a wonderful present this Holiday. Stop for a Holy pause. 

This Christmas, Make a decision to shut yourself down for a bit. Removing yourself from the endless noise and commotion to quietly engage your heart with His. Experience His stillness, His peace for our panic, and His joy vs our irritability. I read and have paraphrased these words this morning from an Our Daily Prayer devotional. If we are honest with ourselves, taking a holy pause is not easy. Just stopping to relax or as some say “take a chill pill” takes work. Stopping and just breathing deep…takes practice. “Be still and know that I am God” is a commandment for all od us. Why? Because slowing down takes work. Stopping and just breathing deep…takes practice. I was forced to learn this the hard way when fighting Guillain Barre Syndrome. I had no choice but to be still. I pretty much couldn’t move for 15 days and then only bit by bit for another month. Although much better, I still have to rest midday and call it a day much earlier in the evening than before GBS. In this stillness, I found God in a way I had never experienced Him before. I was forced to learn what it felt like to let go of everything. Thankfully, I found the peace that Phillippians 4 talks about. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I also confirmed my faith and gave me hope in things not seen as written in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I do not want to go back there. It was an incredibly difficult time. But, now that my life is returning to a somewhat normal routine, I try and conjure back the feeling of not being able to do anything but Be Still. Maybe this is why the Advent Season seems more meaningful than others. Because I was forced to stop and marvel at the wonders of His love.

My prayer is that you will take time over this holiday to just Abide in Him. Stop worrying about what you accomplish but instead, allow yourself to just let go and trust the God who loves you. Let His goodness flow over you so that you can be the one He has created you to be. May it be your prayer that by stopping to count your many blessings you will be able to revel in the wonders of His love. O Come O Come Emmanuel  https://youtu.be/XFnQ70myUeI

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Learning to receive makes you a better giver

If this is your first time here I hope you will take the time to read previous blog posts or visit www.caringbridge.com/visit/michaelguthrie to learn about this blog came to be.

There are two streams of thought that I hope I can merge into one river of encouragement for those who have chosen to follow or happen upon this blog. First, I am learning that my guillain barre syndrome health challenge has become a blessing in my life. This experience has strengthened my faith. Joseph in the Old Testament was faced with one trial after another but time after time acknowledged, “The Lord was with me” I did while in the hospital and rehab and continue to experience His presence in my life. Genesis 50:20 paraphrased 🙂 “GBS intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the opportunity to encourage others” John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” The troubles I have gone through have given me a platform to inspire and lead others through whatever it is they are going through. Donald Miller talks about “transitioning from being the hero/inspiration in your story to becoming the guide for others to be heroes in their own stories.” If you were going on a hike or a fishing/hunting trip in some remote area, wouldn’t you want a guide who has been in that location many times before? My back story is being knocked down but not knocked out by my auto immune system going haywire. This meaningful journey through adversity and how I have been able to handle it, has enabled me to help others find their way through as well. Without my faith in God and having so many people offering their help, this would not have been possible which leads me to the second stream of thought. 🙂

I have always been motivated by the thought, “it is better to give than to receive” I hated the fact that I was selfish and still find it distasteful when it raises up in me even now. Christmas always brought this ugly trait out into the forefront. I would sit and watch others open their wonderful gifts but instead of being happy for my brothers, sisters, or my friends, I would always compare what I got and did it measure up to what others got. Focusing on others with a “How can I serve them” mentality diminishes my selfishness along with staying attuned to how blessed I am. I have so much for which to be thankful. Watching people time and time step up to help us in whatever way we needed has allowed me to see how many people really care about us. While not being able to move I was totally dependant on others and as I continue to work hard in hope of a full recovery, people continue to offer their assistance. My point is I now have a new understanding for “It is better to give than receive”. I now know what it feels like to have people visit you when you are sick or in the hospital. Dottie and I have both been recipients of so many acts of kindness that have buoyed us up over these last 9 months so we would not slip into discouragement. They have acted as examples of how to love others well. They have been the guides that God brought to us on our road to recovery at just the right times. We are indeed thankful for all things and it is the reason I call myself blessed. Everyone needs to be reminded that “The Lord is with them” My hope is you will be encouraged to go out and be that reminded for someone you know could use a helping hand.

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Your life can be a candle in the darkness

It has now been 9 months since Guillain Barre Syndrome wreaked havoc on my body which I am still slowly but surely recovering from each day. I still struggle with fatigue and lack of stamina and often go through my day feeling light headed and a bit unsteady on my feet. There are many things I am learning as I deal with this new normal physically, mentally, and spiritually. The one sweet aspect that has been so special is constantly being told that my attitude throughout this significant health challenge has been an encouragement to others. The following are just a few comments I received over the Thanksgiving holiday.

As PTs this is the best part of our job that really makes everything worth it ❤️ It has been so special to be a part of your journey… not everyone battles so courageously.

 “One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement. … It is easy to laugh at man’s ideals. It is easy to pour cold water on the enthusiasm. It is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. You have been this for me.

——LOVE this! So true and so applicable to anyone’s journey! you are so right the world is full of discourages and the older we get the duller those dreams get as ppl battle with the hardships of life. It is our job to encourage others. Such a beautiful message Thankyou for reminding the world ❤️

Grateful For all that u have shown and inspired in me! Love you like a brother!

Happy Thanksgiving Mike, to you and your family.  Your perseverance and trust in God was very inspirational to many, including my son and me.  So happy for you as your full recovery continues.  God Bless you.

Thank you Michael. I really enjoyed reading all about your journey after GBS and am grateful for you sharing it and for reaching out to others to provide hope. A truly inspiring story.

Awe, Mike, it was my pleasure to lift you up to the Most High God and I praise Him for the healing he has brought to you ???? Happy Thanksgiving to you, Dottie and your beautiful family

We’re all made better by having you in our lives Michael!  Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂

and even from a Va Tech fan 🙂 I’ve always admired how you always find the positive with your recovery. Happy thanksgiving MRG and everyone else. And go Hokies ?

If you visit my Caring Bridge site https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelguthrie or my Facebook page, there are so many uplifting words for me but also folks sharing how I have offered them hope in their own lives. This has become an unexpected blessing (silver lining) and yes a glimmer of light in what has been a pretty dark time in my life.

glimmer of light through the beach clouds

As we ponder the Wonder of God’s love over this advent season, remember a candle is lit each Sunday to remind us “unto us a Child was born” who brings us hope. I have experienced Hebrews 11:1 personally which says, ” Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I am honored that God has used me to offer hope to others who are struggling in one way or another. I hope this blog post will encourage you to be a candle in the darkness. So many folks have made a difference in our lives. I can assure you that choosing to trust God and finding ways to encourage others can make a positive difference in someone else’s life. Why, because no matter how small the light provided by your candle, it will always defeat the darkness around it.

light always defeats the darkness
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If you look….There are silver linings everywhere

“What positive difference will I make in the world today” was written above my desk. It was one of the first goals I set when in 1983 I started my real estate career. I have been struck time and time again by people coming up or writing to me saying things like: “Thank you for sharing your story”, “you are an inspiration”, “my faith has grown because of the example you have set for the rest of us”. These type of comments have buoyed me up and continue to encourage me along the way like people along a road cheering for you as you run more than walk a 5K 🙂 William Barclay wrote, “One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement. … It is easy to laugh at man’s ideals. It is easy to pour cold water on the enthusiasm. It is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. I try to keep in the forefront of my mind, “By God’s grace, with His strength, an with His Mercy”. As I have written before, I am humbled that I have been given the privilege to cheer on others who have faced or are facing adversity in some way. Had I not been knocked down by Guillain Barre, this opportunity to make a positive difference would not have been possible.

As I look back over what has occured, I can’t help to see what I will call silver linings. There are so many examples but let me include one that just happened this week. I became better friends with someone from college during my stay in Rehab. He made sure to be at my PT sessions every Friday to cheer me on the road to recovery. This past week we saw each other at the gym and he introduced me to a friend who he had told about what I had gone through. I now have a new friend. The two of us found ourselves in a place to encourage an employee at the gym. None of this happens if GBS hadn’t brought my Friday friend back into my life in a significant way. The wonderful result in this journey through adversity is that I am even more grateful than I was before getting sick. As I try to answer why, the primary reason is that I know that God loves me in a way I didn’t know it before.

Good old Merriam Webster defines silver linings in this way, ” a consoling or hopeful prospect…” The bible talks about all things working for good. Greg Laurie expands on this thought. “God promises that He will work all things together for good. He doesn’t say He will make a bad thing good, necessarily. But He says that good will come despite the bad thing.” The good that has come from the bad thing called Guillain Barre Syndrome is the silver lining, the glimmer of light that God continually provides for me through others.

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Plateaus-Then and Now

There has been so much written about the Mountaintop and Valley experiences of life. There are many devotionals and books written that talk about “the need for the mountain top exhilaration so that we are able to navigate the many valleys that come our way in our day to day lives” I found this to be especially true both at the outset of my Guillain Barre and now in my recovery from this crazy auto-immune system disorder. It was 16 days before I saw any significant movement anywhere on my otherwise motionless body. The doctors and nurses all said I was improving but there was not any clear signs of that progress. I certainly was glad the progression had stopped short of my diaphram as I had no interest in being incubated. Once the diagnosis was made, I started Plasmapheresis (plasma exchange) on March 3rd. I was told some parts of me would start moving a bit between the 3rd and 4th of 5 treatments which were every other day. The last one occured on March 11th with no such signs. I was discharged to a rehab facility from the hospital on March 13th. “How could this be happening”, we asked. The answer was you are getting better and there is nothing else we can do to help you at this point. Just like walking on a plateau, you travel a distance and feel like you have not really made much progress. This was certainly true for me. It is easy to get discouraged when you hit a stabilized point in recovery. In one sense, you are relieved that you are not getting worse but you find yourself fighting the advice to be patient, “you are and will get better”. Trusting and putting my hope in the Lord along with leaning on and appreciating those who were cheering me on got me through those days and kept me from the fear of thinking, “what if I don’t get better?” On March 17th (St Patrick’s Day), my arms moved over my head. I am not sure what made me think they would, all of a sudden, there they were. I even scratched my head as I lowered them.

https://thankfulinallthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/moving-my-arms-video_Trim-1.mp4

Things took off from there. My body started waking up and the recovery process was nothing short of miraculous. When I was admitted to the rehab facility, they noted in their records that they expected me to be there until the end of June and leave using a walker. Praise God. I went home on April 25 with the assistance of a cane. Within a couple of weeks I was walking in the neighborhood.

https://thankfulinallthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/walking-in-the-neighborhood.mp4

I have continued to recover over these last 8 months. The doctors and physical therapists say I am at about 80%. Given that the data shows it takes 6 months to 2 years, this is pretty good progress 🙂 and yet, I feel like I have now reached a new plateau. My weight loss has slowed and I still need to rest in the middle of the day and call it a day early in the evening. I can get discouraged but thankfully my positive can do attitude, the support and encouragement of family and friends, the prayers of so many being answered and substantiating my faith in a healing God keeps me going. Like on any journey, I just need to look back to where I started to see how far I have come to be reminded that I am indeed blessed. It allows me to know that I will once again move upward toward the next plateau.

one must look back to get a sense of how far they have come.
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What’s next?

Phillippians 3:13,14 “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.” As I lay in my bed day after day not being able to move, this verse took on new meaning for me. I can not explain why but as I have shared before, I did not focus on “why Guillain Barre had happened to me” but instead “what do I need to do to get better?” I also felt very strongly that I wanted to be obedient to God’s heavenly calling by showing my trust in Him to those that cared for me, came along side and supported us, or just came to visit. Dan Allender talks about making a chose when calamity occurs. “Will you allow it to break you or lift you up?” I chose to look at the positive by seeing how God could use it for good in my life as well as being an example for those who were watching how we would handle this ordeal. I read somewhere about the opportunity to turn “a mess into a message” I wanted that to be what people saw in me. In a Jon Gordon podcast, I heard that after the UVA basketball team lost to UMBC in the 1st round of the NCAA basketball tourney, head coach Tony Bennett’s wife encouraged him in the strangest way. She said, “God has given you the privilege to suffer and experience adversity so that you can show that your faith is real and what defines you whether things are good or bad”. I wanted to be a reflection of the passage in James, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” My goal became turning the mess called Guillain Barre Syndrome into a message. Therefore…..

Dottie and I made the conscious decision to stay in the moment choosing the attitude of let’s not get ahead of ourselves but instead focus on What’s Next? We did not google GBS because we didn’t want to have worst case scenarios in our mind. The Doctor asked us how much we wanted to know and we said, “just what we need to know now.” That way we could deal the current circumstance and then ask what needs to be done now to move us forward in recovery. Noone really told us but we just felt it best not to dwell on how long it would be before I could move or when I might be able to go home. This decision served us well whether we found ourselves discouraged or when we could see signs of improvement. It kept us in the moment. Grateful for the slightest movement, passing the regular respiratory tests, better sleep, uplifting visits from friends, etc. It also kept us focused on the tough days knowing that if we kept doing what the medical staff said was next, things were going to get better. This attitude is the reason for this blog’s title. We became Thankful in all Things because we believed God was with us, loved us, and that He was in control of what was next for us. We committed my health and recovery to God and clinged to the promises of Hebrews 13:5 and Romans 8:28, ” He will never leave us and will make good out of every situation.”

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Things happen for a reason and Good Things can come from it. “All because of a cookie”

Romans 8:28 New International Version (NIV). 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

Karen Scott writes, ” Sometimes, just a few minutes of time and attention is all the gift another person needs. Sometimes, you get the opportunity to communicate with another person that you value them, that they matter are important, that you hope that their lives matter in light of eternity. Never doubt that a gift of your time and attention is valuable. You can hold it in your hand or choose to give it away”

I am a staunch believer in “the ripple effect” of life. As the title of this post suggests, I also believe things happen for a reason and “there is a silver lining in every cloud”. My journey through adversity via my battle with Guillain Barre Syndrome did nothing to dampen that belief. Why? My family and I experienced 1st hand people choosing to give away their time and attention so that they could encourage and support us. My life has also been made different by GBS. As I have written before, I hope I will always remember the positive things that have occured because of this now almost 8 month recovery process. Out of the dark clouds of what was a significant health challenge came new friends, deeper existing relationships, a renewed commitment for taking care of myself, and stories about other people’s lives being made better because of how we inspired or cared for them in some way.

Here is one little tiny story of how the Lord used my illness and the offer of a cookie- Taken from an email from a friend. “One day, there was this Christian man at a local Health and Rehab facility, being cared for by a friend who was a CNA.  This man with GBS offered her a delicious cookie, she asked who made it, you mentioned the name of a friend . . . and shooting stars went off.   :-)))  This patient didn’t know about a long relationship between the CNA and the cookie maker. However, one VBS evening at Abundant Life in July, when I was looking for more children to round-up, there was the CNA and we had a big hug and quick reunion-style chat about meeting the Christian man, the cookie, and reconnecting with the person who chose to take the time to make cookies for the patient.  She also happened to mention proudly that her daughter loves to read the Bible and loves to read it aloud to her!  Wow, so encouraging . . .  so the twins did do a few nights of VBS and loved it.”  The email went on to say it didn’t stop there. My friend asked the CNA, “have you ever thought about sending the twins to a Christian school?” . . . She was interested, but cautious about what it would cost……

Fast forward a few more weeks and only a couple of brief texts . . . and suddenly, God brought it all together and there were enough scholarships left at a local private school for both of the CNA’s daughter to enroll! 

The moral to this true story is, if you get the chance, don’t hold back the cookie, your time, or whatever else you can offer. Instead give it away and be time and time again amazed at how your gesture will be turned into good many times over.

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Our brain is really like a computer

My 12 days at UVA hospital were miserable. It was so frustrating to not be able to move and even more aggravating to not be able to sleep. Ask those who know me and they will tell you sleeping has never been a problem for me. My son-in-law Ben has a folder on his computer with photos of me sleeping pretty much anywhere. That was not the case for many days. Here is a post from my Caring Bridge site on the 10th day. “Dottie and I are so grateful for everybody’s love and support. Life has definitely thrown us a curveball, which unfortunately I never could hit very well….But with your wonderful words of encouragement and knowing God is with us, we will get through this. Please pray for continued movement….and a good night’s sleep.” Becca wrote, “He had a rough night last night and is having more difficulty finding that “comfy spot”.  The plan is to try some medications to help with nerve pain as well as some Tylenol, so we are praying for some more rest and comfort throughout the night tonight.” My son, JM wrote on “Dad is more and more uncomfortable with the small signs of improvement and an increased feeling and awareness. Dottie is doing her best to keep him relaxed and their love is tangible even in this time of struggle. ” 

Why do I share these things. Because a little more than 7 months later, these very tough days and nights are still etched in my mind but not as the minute by minute struggle they were at the time. I titled this post “our brain is like a computer” for a reason. Every so often, we need to defrag our computer so it can run faster. When you do that, the information you have saved does not go away, it gets compressed in some way to create more space for other programs to run. Psalm 30:5 says, ” For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. ” 2 Corinthians 4:17 says it a different way-
“For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison.” I am grateful that I am getting better but in a weird way I want my brain not to compress my memory of how I felt in the darkest of my time in the hospital and in rehab because I learned that God was there and His favor does last a lifetime. I also learned what a blessing it is to have people who truly care come along side to help in whatever way they were asked. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, by dealing with the adversity of Guillain Barre well, “I have been given a ticket to a place I would never have been able to go” I have become a different person. A quote from a friend on a different Caring Bridge says it best.  “I’ve spent deeply meaningful time with my family and closest friends. I’ve been a better father and husband. I’ve shared my story openly, and learned to let people help our family in ways big and small while looking to find ways to encourage and support others”. Dottie and I remain so thankful for your friendship and care. Your support gives us hope, comfort, peace of mind and encouragement during what has been a tough season.  We will not forget. We will always remember.