A Year Ago Today

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This day is surely going to be a great one! 😊

A year ago today, right now at this very moment, my Beautiful Bride and I were awake and getting ready to head to the hospital. After years of great pain, and a lifetime of extremely bowed legs, I was going to have both of my knees replaced. By the time most will read this, I was in what would be a 5+ hour surgery that not only made my legs straight and relieved all pain – I have literally not felt pain in either knee for exactly one year today! 😊 – but gave me a fresh perspective on a few things. I would like to share a few of these with you this morning!

Grateful, so very, very grateful! This is my heart this morning! I hope each one of you experiences the depth of gratitude that I feel in my heart this morning at least once in your lifetime. And as I type these words, I realize that the reason I feel such gratitude is because I have experienced great pain that is no longer there! Without the pain that I had previously experienced, I would not have the depth of gratitude that I have. To a person that has never had a knee injury or knee pain, they have no idea what it is like to be in constant pain. And I would be remiss if I did not mention that I am mindful of this same application to life’s journey and the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ. Have you ever noticed that those who have walked the most difficult paths are often the most joyful? Or how those who were living lives furthest from the Lord are often those most on fire for Jesus? Once you have known pain – whether that pain be mental, physical, emotional, and/or spiritual – and it is removed, I have found gratitude will chase you down! 😊

So, to my amazing doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Hovater, a truly amazing team of physical therapists, my incredible family and friends who prayed for me, took care of me, and walked this journey with me, and my sweet beagle, Chloe, who would literally not leave my side – and growl and snap at anyone who tried to remove her for more than two weeks! 😊 – from the bottom of my heart, thank you! Each one of you blessed my life more than you will ever know!

I want to share a scripture and a quote with you.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” 

There is a quote that goes something like, “I offer you this great gift; I believe in you!”

I remember my first appointment with Dr. Hovater, it was very short. X-rays were taken of my knees, and I was taken to a room. Dr. Hovater came in, I explained my journey and he said, “You don’t have to be a doctor to look at the x-rays and know that you need new knees” and then he showed me. He then asked me how I wanted to do this, and I asked him what he would recommend. And he said something like, “I don’t always recommend this however with you we can do both knees at the same time. You are in good enough shape, and you can do this.” I told him that if that is what he recommended and if he truly believed I could do this, let’s do it. There is a real key here…I believed him! 😊 Now, that might not seem like a big deal to you however his words, his belief in me, sustained me. I can’t tell you the number of times people told me I was crazy, you shouldn’t do both knees at the same time, etc. Including the nurse in pre-op!!! And over and over again I could hear Dr. Hovater saying, “You can do this.”

You know, and I know, that the words we speak have power…but do we always live like they do?! I seriously doubt that Dr. Hovater even remembers the first meeting we had however the words he spoke to me that day, and the belief he had in me, gave me the courage to pursue this path and, because I did, I am living a very different life than the one I was living before. Please be thoughtful and intentional with the words you speak…eternity itself could hang in the balance. We are only talking about knees here, not a big deal at all when you are talking about a precious soul! Please speak life into others and their journeys. You may never know the impact of your words however you can truly change a life forever – for good or bad – by the how you choose to use them!

The final thing on my heart this morning is this: God has given different people different gifts and abilities to love, care for, and serve others…let them use them! So, you are thinking, “Where is this coming from?” It is coming from a business trip about 5 years ago. I was getting on a plane in Houston, and I could barely bend my right knee. I had to almost stand straight up in my seat and then try to maneuver that straight leg into the opening where your feet are supposed to go under the seat in front of me. And as I prayed and talked to God about my life that realization came to me. Basically, something like this, “Hey Kev, you know I have gifted people to be doctors. You can let them fulfill their purpose by serving you and then you don’t have to walk around – or as my family tells me, waddle around! 😊 – and you can get help with your knees. It was a couple of weeks later that I was sitting in a doctor’s office, getting my first steroid shot – it was magical…my knee could bend again! 😊 – and ultimately the first step that led me to where I am today…sitting here typing this Happy Friday, both knees comfortably bent at 90 degrees with no pain whatsoever, feet flat on the floor! I am so grateful!!!! 😊

So, my point, Sweet Friends, is this; whether your pain is mental, physical, emotional, and/or spiritual, God has equipped others who can help you…please let them. This is the beauty, and magnificence, of God…He has given us all different gifts and abilities, passions and purposes, and He has asked us to use them to love, care for, and serve others. And we are all on both sides of this – You have the ability to relieve the pain – whatever that might be – of another and we all need someone to relieve ours. THAT is this beautiful journey we call life! We are blessed to live it and I pray we will all do so, fully! 😊

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! 😊

Kev