Dismembered?

Nope.  This guy isn’t me, but amputations are on the rise.   They occur as a result of trauma, congenital defects, cancer, and diabetes.   

Ok it was a stupid thing.  I mowing and hit a bump.  The floating deck became unlevel.  When I stepped off to adjust it, I guess I must have still been half asleep.   My headphones were on and I didn’t hear or see that the blades were still spinning.  Anyway, the tip of my finger got too close to the blade and yikes!   In an instant, my middle finger tip was dangling. 

I know.   Gross out!   How stupid could I be?   Believe it or not I felt no pain. 

Immediately, I drove to my wife’s school and got her to drive me to the emergency room.   Several hours later, a hand surgeon stitched the tip back on.  I was told I had a fifty-fifty shot.  As the weekend drug on, the finger tip darkened and began to stink.  Yep, it was disgusting.  The finger tip had to be amputated.

After a finger flap surgery, six weeks of hand immobility, and three months of physical rehabilitation my newly repaired fingertip looked normal.  Thank God.  I was blessed! 

Prior to these two decades of war, the vast majority of our amputations in the United States occurred because of uncontrolled diabetes.  Whatever the cause, dismemberment affects the entire body in variety of ways. 

When my hand was immobilized, I needed help.   Sure, I continued to work using the left limb and my casted hand as an assist.   Can you picture me out there weed-eating, edging, blowing, and even bagging grass clippings?  My Eyes and ears become hyper vigilant.  The worst part was having to use my mouth and tongue to explain everyone what happened.   I know what you’re thinking.  My brain must have taken the day off.       

In Ephesians 2:19, we are told that God no longer considers us foreigners.   We are “members of God’s family,” (NLT.)   As the BODY of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 reminds us to “care for each other.  If one part suffers, all parts suffer with it,” (NLT.)  

Just as with the physical body, dismemberment is rare and unnatural; so it is with the body of Christ.  While there is a place for dismemberment in the church (I’ll be discussing that in an upcoming post) the Word of God encourages Christ’s body of believers to work together.   (See Psalm 133:1, Romans 12:16, Romans 14:19,1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Cor. 12:25, and 1 Cor. 13:11.)   In Colossians 3:14, he says: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony,” (NLT.)   Are you living in harmony with others, the family, and yourself?