Recently, I had my first cataract surgery. In the scheme of medical practice, it’s a relatively minor procedure. I imagine there are hundreds if not thousands of them done every day and as the nurse said, they haven’t lost anybody yet. There wasn’t much doubt that I would be having the surgery. It was just a question of when.
On the other hand, what if I felt like I needed to replace one of my joints, would I assume that I’m going forward with that? I have occasional twinges in my hip. Since I’m getting old, I have occasional twinges lots of places. Do I rush to the doctor, get x-rays, schedule a surgery? No, I walk it off.
There are various reasons for walking it off. The first and most important, is that it’s probably just a twinge, a momentary malfunction, and by exercising it, it will go away. Life has taught me that. It’s an important lesson. The cloudiness of my vision was not going to go away. It was just going to get worse, so there came a time for a decision. The decision was based on the fact that I assumed I would live beyond the weekend. You laugh. Some people are up at a place in life where they’re not sure that they’re gonna make it past the weekend. I am close to that. It influences their decisions.
I am going to suggest that perhaps when we have major decisions, and we are looking at all the ingredients to that decision, that we add a dash of optimism. My original forecast of how long I would live gives me about two more years. I probably will need to revise that since I’m still working along OK. If I still believed the two year forcaste I might not have gone ahead with the cataract surgery. If something more serious comes along, I will take into consideration how long I think I will live.
Too often we take pessimism as our main ingredient. We grasp at anything in desperation. We rush ahead with surgeries that could just as well be put off.
It’s a hard balance to find. Might I suggest that you walk in confidence, knowing that the living God is still on the throne. Mix that in and see if it changes the outcome.
homo unius libri
Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship
Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship
This blog will be written from an orthodox Christian point of view. There may be some topic that is out of bounds, but at present I don't know what it will be. Politics is a part of life. Theology and philosophy are disciplines that we all participate in even if we don't think so. The Bible has a lot to say about economics. How about self defense? Is war ethical? Think of all the things that someone tells you we should not touch and let's give it a try. Everything that is a part of life should be an expression of worship.
Keep it courteous and be kind to those less blessed than you, but by all means don't worry about agreeing. We learn more when we get backed into a corner.
This blog will be written from an orthodox Christian point of view. There may be some topic that is out of bounds, but at present I don't know what it will be. Politics is a part of life. Theology and philosophy are disciplines that we all participate in even if we don't think so. The Bible has a lot to say about economics. How about self defense? Is war ethical? Think of all the things that someone tells you we should not touch and let's give it a try. Everything that is a part of life should be an expression of worship.
Keep it courteous and be kind to those less blessed than you, but by all means don't worry about agreeing. We learn more when we get backed into a corner.
Opus 2026-435: And a Dash of Optimism
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