God's Faithfulness

Of all books in the Bible, my small group study this week led me to a chapter in 2 Kings. Now, I am intrigued by the Old Testament and have read all of it at one point or another, but I tend to forget just how much it tells of God’s character. On the other hand, it also very plainly denotes the character of men and women, and it is sometimes comforting to me to realize that kings and powerful advocates of the Lord were just as likely to screw up as I am. They were human too, so obviously they battled sin just like we do. Anyway, our reading for Bible study was in 2 Kings 1, but I am continuing to read through the book and couldn’t help but notice a few trends. Almost every event that happens in the lives of the great kings of Israel and Judah was prophesied before it happened. In other words, someone somewhere already predicted so-and-so would kill whats-his-name or that this particular guy would serve God faithfully. But despite each king’s prophesied fate, one fact remains: God’s promises for each of them were never revoked or removed. For instance:

“In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. …
He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.” -2 Kings 8:16,18-19

“Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence.” -2 Kings 13:22-23

So, if that doesn’t get you excited about who God is, which it should, try this one from the New Testament (which, providentially, I have seen twice this week in separate places):

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-Romans 8:39-39

Camp

I had the privilege to spend last week with 31 campers and a crew of other volunteers at Adventure Amputee Camp. We descended, actually ascended, onto the Nantahala Outdoor Center in full force on Wednesday and hit the ground running. The campers were kids from all over, though mostly Georgia and Tennessee, with amputations ranging from one amputated finger to triple limb amputations. Some of the kids were born with these amputations, while others suffered in accidents or had cancer or other diseases. I honestly don’t know all of their stories, but I do know that they are all still kids, most with an extra dose of courage and resolve. I watched in awe as most of the campers tackled such challenges as whitewater rafting, ropes course climbing, and waterskiing. They found themselves last week in an environment where they were not the only ones with an amputation (as most of them are in school and at home) and where everyone around them accepted them for who they are as a person. It was heart-wrenching to hear some of them say that even their families don’t treat them as well as they are treated at camp. As a future prosthetist, it was also amazing to see how hard the kids were on their prosthetic limbs. If you have spent any time around kids, you know they can break, ruin, or just wear out anything you give them. The fact that something is expensive and custom-made makes no difference to them when they want to run, jump, and play. I will certainly keep this in mind when I am faced with making prosthetic limbs for active kids or even adults. Being with those kids and also the several volunteers with amputations reminded me of why I changed careers. I already have and will continue to have the opportunity to meet people and their families who inspire me and who I can help to get back on their feet or live more comfortably. Honestly, I almost have to pinch myself every now and then when I realize how much fun I am having in this new profession – and I’m not even getting paid yet! Here are a few pictures from camp: