“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭8‬

Well, our plans are on hold, OR God has other plans for us. At THIS time, God has spoken, but louder than other times (my bad for not listening close enough)!!

My knee suddenly began to have some pain & has gotten progressively worse. Having an MRI next week (another hurry up & wait on my plate) & looks like we may be headed toward a left knee replacement.

As a very-EX-jock, you learn to play through pain. I’ve been treating for hip(s) pain & pain in both shoulders. I love to throw weights around, love the gym, but wasn’t wisely lifting for my age & listening to my ouches. “No big deal,” I thought, continued with the gym & pickleball, until my right shoulder became excruciating!! I have some partial muscle tears & osteoarthritis (everywhere). BIG THANKS to Michael Keith Harris, former FC teammate & personal trainer (if you’re in Stockton, CA & want some knowledge & motivation, Michael is your man!!), who provided me some workout wisdom.

I took Michael’s suggestions, applied them & continued, lifting & playing pickleball after a bit of time off.

Then, playing one day, hit the ball with my paddle (not hard) & WHAP, a right forearm muscle hit me like the initial tug of hooking a marlin!! Wow it hurt. Sat out a couple of games, until my forearm chilled, & started playing again. It nailed me again late in the game, so I stopped. Didn’t play for a couple of weeks & then started up slowly, practicing & using my left hand/arm more (I love switching hands during the game, but I’m right dominant, so don’t always get the result I want.)

I became more confident & pain-free, so began to play more, but not as much as prior the injury. Played a couple of games hard & had pretty good results, until the same thing happened to my right bicep, WHAP!! Did the same thing, rested it for a couple of games, until it not only WHAPPED!! my bicep but my forearm also. I was bummed.

I rested the arm again & bought me a Flocky, a “biomechanical arm sleeve”, w/ “no strain evolution” protection!! That worked with easing into mild practice. Once I felt “secure,” I returned to competition & would you believe, the “WHAP!!” returned!! Of course it did!! I haven’t played for quite a while now & it makes me crazy!!

Then the knee got wonky, I’m seeing a back guy next week & might need the knife again, as well as whatever is going with my right shoulder/arm. The latter, as well as the back (& hips), we hoped to have treated once we moved & were settled on the Florida coast. But now that it’s so hard to walk, we are anchored on the Ohio River.

No matter the prayer, are we listening for the answer we want or the answer HE’s going to give? Will we hear HIS answer, or are we hearing our own. There’s a lot of noise that goes on in this knucklehead of mine, so I try to be a good listener. This time, I wasn’t good enough.

Timing is everything in life, but it should be HIS timing. Like hearing HIS desire in our lives, HIS time is best in our lives. HE promises to give us our hearts desires. But we have to remember that our desires have to align with HIS, or we settle for something far less. HE knew us before HE formed, so HE certainly knows what’s best for us. GOD has shown me MUCH mercy & grace in life & HE forgives me when I forget to hurry up & wait on HIM.

We continue in prayer for what’s next & listening more intently. Barbara, my wife, heard HIM before I did. LOL, should have listened to her more too!! Sorry, B!

We covet your prayers for quick (HIS quick) healing & direction (HIS direction) when I have healed, as we pray the same. (Please never worry about asking us to pray for anything for you, if not us, ask others you trust to pray—we want good, good things, via God’s will, in your life too!!)
Peace & joy to you!!

“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭31‬

*Michael Harris can also be found for fitness, wisdom & encouragement on FB, Instagram & YouTube: 60 Fit Club Podcast!http://www.instagram.com/bigdarkness59